>MI50 

B7B8 
L8 


■ 


in  if  ii'fiM  ihhh 


I      Ml  Ml  Mi!    ! 


iiiuininKiHi! 


B/  7150 


£"0 


A 


HISTORY 


OF    THE 


CHURCH  IN  BRATTLE  STREET, 


BOSTON. 


BY     ITS     PASTOR, 


SAMUEL   KIRKLAND    LOTHROP. 


BOSTON: 

WM.    CROSBY   AND    H.    P.   NICHOLS, 
111  Washington  Street. 

1851. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1851,  by 

Wm.  Crosby  and  H.  P.  Nichols, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


CAMBRIDGE: 

METCALF      AND      COMPANY, 

PRINTERS   TO   THE   UNIVERSITY. 


TO 


THE      MEMBERS 


OF   THE 


CHURCH  AND   SOCIETY  IN  BRATTLE   SQUARE, 


THIS      HISTORY 


IS    GRATEFULLY    AND    AFFECTIONATELY    INSCRIBED, 


BY 


THEIR    FRIEND    AND    PASTOR, 


S.    K.    LOTHROP. 


PREFACE. 


Some  alterations  and  considerable  additions 
have  been  made  to  the  following  discourses 
since  the  substance  of  them  was  preached  in 
Brattle  Street  Church,  in  the  course  of  the 
year  1850.  Notwithstanding  the  introduction 
of  some  new  matter,  I  have  retained,  in  pub- 
lishing them,  the  name  and  style  and  direct 
address  of  sermons,  because  this  was  more 
convenient  than  to  alter  the  whole  structure 
of  the  manuscripts.  This  is  my  apology,  or 
explanation,  for  whatever  may  be  thought  in- 
appropriate, or  in  violation  of  good  taste,  in  a 
sermon,  or  a  volume  of  sermons.  I  have  pre- 
ferred to  subject  myself  to  this  charge  rather 
than  omit  from  the  text  or  the  notes  any  thing, 
whether  a  dull  detail  or  an  amusing  anecdote, 


yi  PREFACE. 

which  would  help  to  illustrate  the  events  or 
the  characters  of  which  I  was  writing. 

I  have  ventured  to  publish  the  following 
pages  because,  invited  to  do  so  by  the  Stand- 
ins  Committee,  I  felt  some  assurance  that 
the  members  of  the  Society  worshipping  in 
Brattle  Square  would  be  interested  in  them, 
and  because  I  hoped  that  they  might  prove 
some  contribution,  however  small,  toward  that 
which  is  so  much  needed,  an  ecclesiastical 
history  of  New  England. 

The  researches  of  my  predecessor  had  made 
much  of  the  work  of  investigation  easy  to  my 
hands,  and  while  I  have  in  every  case  consulted 
for  myself  original  documents  and  records,  I 
desire  to  make  this  general  acknowledgment 
of  the  use  I  have  made  of  the  very  full  and 
valuable  notes  appended  to  his  historical  ser- 
mon. 

S.   K..  Lt. 

Boston,  June  2d,  1851. 


CONTENTS. 


— ♦ — 

Pagr 

Sermon  I. 1 

Sermon  II 54 

Sermon  III 85 

Sermon  IV.            125 

Sermon  V. 159 

Sermon  VI 182 


SERMON   I. 


WE  HAVE  HEARD  WITH  OUR  EARS,  O  GOD,  OUR  FATHERS 
HAVE  TOLD  US,  WHAT  WORK  THOU  DIDST  IN  THEIR 
DAYS,    IN    THE     TIMES    OF     OLD.  —  Psalm  xliv.  1. 

RETURN,  AVE  BESEECH  THEE,  O  GOD  OF  HOSTS  !  LOOK 
DOWN  FROM  HEAVEN,  AND  BEHOLD,  AND  VISIT  THIS  VINE, 
AND      THE      VINEYARD      WHICH     THY      RIGHT      HAND      HATH 

planted.  —  Psalm  lxxx.  14,  15. 

These  passages  of  Scripture  direct  our 
thoughts  to  the  past,  the  present,  and  the  fu- 
ture. They  remind  us  of  the  goodness  of  God, 
displayed  in  guidance  and  blessing  to  our  fathers. 
They  enforce  attention  to  our  own  condition, 
duties,  and  obligations  as  a  Christian  church,  and 
to  our  need  of  Divine  help,  of  the  quickening  in- 
fluences of  God's  holy  spirit,  that  we  may  be 
made  strong  for  the  work  of  the  future.  They 
have  been  suggested  to  me  by  investigations 
which,  for  some  weeks  past,  have  occupied  a 
large  share  of  my  time,  and  their  appropriateness 
as  a  Scriptural  introduction  to  what  I  have  now 
to  offer  will  appear  as  I  proceed. 

1 


2  THE    HISTORY    OF 

The  passing  season  completes  the  third  half- 
century  of  the  existence  of  the  church  and  so- 
ciety in  Brattle  Square.  The  first  date  in  our 
church  records  is  "  December  12th,  1699  "  ;  the 
third  date  is  "  Lord's  day,  Dec.  24th,"  of  the 
same  year.  Under  this  latter  date,  we  are  in- 
formed that  on  that  day  the  society,  for  the  first 
time,  "  met  for  public  worship  in  their  pleasant 
new-built  house  "  ;  and  that  Dr.  Colman,  its  first 
minister,  "  preached  from  2  Chronicles  vi.  chap. 
18  verse  :  But  will  God  in  very  deed  dwell  with 
men  on  the  earth  ?  behold,  heaven,  and  the  heav- 
en of  heavens,  cannot  contain  thee  ;  how  much 
less  this  house  which  I  have  built." 

Making  due  allowance  for  the  change  of  style, 
the  present  Sunday  is  the  nearest  Lord's  day  we 
can  get  to  the  anniversary  of  December  24th, 
1699.  For  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  there- 
fore, the  spot  on  which  wre  are  assembled  has 
been  consecrated  to  the  worship  of  Almighty 
God,  —  a  period  longer  by  several  years  than 
any  other  spot  in  the  city  has  ever  been  held  to 
the  same  sacred  uses,  with  the  exception  of  those 
on  which  the  "  Old  South  Church "  and  the 
King's  Chapel  now  stand.  For  a  century  and  a 
half,  the  Christian  church  and  society  whose  foun- 
dations were  here  laid  by  sober,  thoughtful,  godly 
men,  in  the  purpose  of  an  earnest  piety  and  an 
enlarged,  catholic  spirit,  have  continued  to  flourish, 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  3 

—  a  fountain  whose  living  waters  have  done  some- 
thing in  every  generation,  we  trust,  to  make  glad 
this  city  of  our  God.  It  is  not  meet  that  the  oc- 
casion should  pass  without  some  notice.  I  pro- 
pose to  make  use  of  it  by  briefly  reviewing  some 
of  the  more  prominent  points  in  our  history,  and  by 
the  presentation  of  such  thoughts  on  ecclesiastical 
changes,  the  progress  of  religious  opinion,  and  the 
present  condition  and  aspect  of  our  religious  af- 
fairs, as  this  review  may  suggest. 

I  am  well  aware,  as  are  many  who  hear  me, 
that  in  1824,  when  the  congregation,  after  an 
absence  of  some  months,  occasioned  bv  an  exten- 
sive  and  thorough  repair  of  the  house,  reassem- 
bled here  for  public  worship,  Dr.  Palfrey,  then 
minister  of  the  society,  presented,  in  two  sermons 
which  were  subsequently  published,  a  history  of 
this  church,  marked  by  that  thorough  and  patient 
research,  that  accurate  statement  and  nice  dis- 
crimination, for  which  he  is  distinguished.  I 
know  that  a  work  of  this  kind  which  he  has  once 
done  well  needs  not  to  be  done  again.  The  hope 
of  doing  it  better  would  be  vain.  But  to  most  of 
those  who  hear  me  those  sermons  are  not  proba- 
bly familiar,  even  if  they  are  known.  A  quarter 
of  a  century,  also,  embracing  a  period  of  our 
history  not  altogether  devoid  of  interest,  has 
elapsed  since  they  were  written  ;  and  although  I 
may  not  hope  to  glean  any  new  or  important  facts 


THE    HISTORY    OF 


in  a  field  so  thoroughly  explored  by  my  prede- 
cessor, yet,  as  our  stand-points  are  twenty-five 
years  apart,  old  facts  may  present  themselves 
under  such  different  aspects  as  to  make  the  re- 
view of  them  now  and  by  us  not  uninteresting  and 
uninstructive.  I  invite  your  attention,  therefore, 
to  a  subject  to  which  we  cannot  be  wholly  indif- 
ferent, and  of  which  we  ought  not  to  be  entirely 
ignorant,  —  the  history  of  this  church,  the  prin- 
ciples embodied  and  the  ends  aimed  at  in  its 
organization. 

The  first  movements  towards  the  formation  of 
this  society  seem  to  have  been  made  as  early  as 
1697.  The  deed  by  which  Thomas  Brattle  con- 
veyed to  Thomas  Clarke  and  his  associates  a 
piece  of  land  called  Brattle  Close,  for  the 
erection  of  a  house  of  worship,  bears  date  Jan- 
uary 10,  1698,  which  clearly  indicates  that  some 
preliminary  steps  had  been  taken  in  the  matter. 
At  this  period,  there  were  three  other  Congre- 
gational churches  in  the  town  ;  viz.  the  First 
Church,  which  then  worshipped  on  the  spot  now 
occupied  by  Joy's  Building,  and  was  under  the 
pastoral  care  of  Messrs.  Allen  and  Wadsworth  ; 
the  Second  Church,  whose  place  of  worship  was 
at  the  head  of  North  Square,  where  officiated 
those  men  so  celebrated  in  the  annals  of  the  New 
England  churches,  Drs.  Increase  and  Cotton 
Mather ;    and   the  Old    South    Church,    which, 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  5 

amid  some  difficulties  and  against  public  procla- 
mation on  the  part  of  the  civil  authorities,  had 
been  founded  about  thirty  years  previous,  and 
had  erected  a  house  of  worship  on  the  spot  where 
the  present  Old  South  stands,  and  where  preached 
at  this  period  the  Rev.  Samuel  Willard. 

In  addition  to  these  three  Congregational 
churches,  there  were  three  other  religious  socie- 
ties in  the  town  ;  viz.  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
which,  after  various  fortunes  and  severe  persecu- 
tions, had  at  length  succeeded,  in  1679,  ten 
years  after  its  organization,  in  building  a  church, 
situated  by  the  side  of  the  old  Mill  Pond,  near 
what  is  now  called  Stillman  Street,  and  whose 
minister  was  at  this  period  the  Rev.  John  Em- 
blen  ;  the  King's  Chapel  Church,  whose  early 
history  is  deeply  interesting,  as  that  of  the  first 
successful  attempt,  marked  by  some  things  not 
very  creditable  to  either  party,  to  introduce  the 
Episcopacy  of  Old  England  among  the  Congre- 
gationalists  of  New  England,  who  disliked  it,  and 
had  fled  from  it.  This  church  was  organized  in 
1686,  had  erected  a  wooden  building  on  the  site 
of  the  present  Stone  Chapel,  and  enjoyed  at  this 
period  the  services  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Myles 
and  the  Rev.  Christopher  Bridge. 

After  16S0,  the  persecution  of  the  Quakers, 
or  Friends,  in  a  great  measure  ceased,  and  from 
that  time  to   1808  they  had  regular  meetings  in 


6  THE    HISTORY    OF 

Boston.  At  the  period  to  which  we  are  directing 
our  attention,  1699,  they  had  a  flourishing  soci- 
ety, had  built  the  first  brick  meeting-house  in  the 
town,  which  was  situated  somewhere  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  this  spot,  from  which  the  society 
shortly  after,  in  1708,  removed  to  Congress 
Street. 

These  six  churches  were,  at  this  period,  in  a 
prosperous  and  peaceful  condition  ;  at  least,  it 
does  not  appear  that  there  were  any  violent  con- 
tentions among  them,  or  that  our  church  origi- 
nated in  any  particular  dissension  or  stormy  seces- 
sion from  any  one  of  them.  The  causes  which 
led  to  the  formation  of  this  society  were  of  a 
more  honorable  character.  To  understand  them, 
it  is  necessary  to  give  a  brief  glance  back  from 
1699,  at  some  of  the  ecclesiastical  questions  that 
had  arisen  in  the  New  England  churches  during 
the  seventy  years  in  which  they  had  now  been 
gathering  and  growing  on  this  free  American  soil. 
Most  of  these  questions  related  to  church  order 
and  discipline,  and  were  only  indirectly  connect- 
ed with  theological  doctrine.  The  first  of  them 
which  it  is  important  for  us  to  notice  is  that  in 
regard  to  the  proper  subjects  of  baptism.  Origi- 
nally the  administration  of  this  rite  was  restricted 
to  the  children  of  those  who  were  members  of 
churches  in  full  communion.  How  early  a  more 
liberal  opinion  was  expressed,  and  a  more  liberal 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  7 

practice  aimed  at  or  attempted,  on  the  part  of  any 
of  the  fathers  of  New  England,  it  is  difficult  pre- 
cisely to  determine.  Probably,  however,  this 
occurred  at  a  very  early  period  ;  for  we  know 
that  the  New  England  emigrants,  in  the  exercise 
of  the  large  liberty  and  independence  which  they 
had  here  secured,  gave  free  scope  to  thought  and 
inquiry,  and  soon  began  to  lose  a  little  of  their 
reverence  for  some  things  which  were  important 
only  because  they  had  been  made  matters  of  con- 
troversy, or  were  incidentally  connected  with 
great  principles  in  whose  defence  they  had  en- 
dured persecution  and  exile. 

To  such  an  extent,  indeed,  had  this  freedom 
been  exercised,  that,  in  less  than  twenty  years 
after  the  settlement  of  Plymouth,  great  anxiety 
was  awakened  among  the  Non-conformists  in  Eng- 
land at  the  reports  which  reached  that  country  of 
the  departure  of  the  American  churches  from 
some  of  the  customs,  opinions,  and  practices 
which  they  had  carried  with  them  from  the 
father-land.  Letters  of  inquiry,  remonstrance, 
entreaty,  were  frequently  addressed  to  them,  es- 
pecially one  bearing  the  early  date  of  1637,* 
signed  by  a  number  of  eminent  Non-conformist 
divines,  asking  their  opinion  upon  nine  points  of 
ecclesiastical  discipline  and  order.     In  the  answer 

*  Lamson's   History   of   the    First    Church    in   Dedham, 
p.  21. 


8  THE    HISTORY    OF 

returned,  it  is  admitted,  on  the  part  of  the  New 
England  churches,  that,  while  they  had  not  de- 
parted so  far  as  was  reported  and  charged,  u  the 
free  air  of  the  wilderness  "  had  wrought  some 
changes,  for  which  they  saw  good  reason  ;  and  it 
is  contended  that  churches  should  be  seekers 
after  truth,  and  cc  had  still  need  to  grow  from 
defects  to  purity,  and  from  reformation  to  refor- 
mation, age  after  age." 

It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  this  question 
about  the  proper  subjects  of  baptism  was  early 
agitated,  and  perhaps  the  more  liberal  opinion 
and  practice  in  reference  to  it  did  at  first,  to 
some  extent,  prevail. 

There  was  no  general  discussion  of  the  subject 
till  1662.  The  synod  which  met  that  year  adopt- 
ed the  more  liberal  ground,  approved  of  what  was 
called  the  half-way,  or  baptismal  covenant,  and 
sanctioned  the  administration  of  baptism  to  chil- 
dren whose  parents  were  not  members  of  the 
church  in  full  communion.  This  decision  of  the 
synod  gave  rise  to  a  controversy,  conducted  on 
the  one  hand  by  President  Chauncy  of  Harvard 
College,  and  the  Rev.  John  Davenport,  then  of 
New  Haven,  against  the  decision,  and  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Allin  of  Dedham,  and  the  Rev. 
Richard  Mather  of  Dorchester,  in  support  of  it. 

Cotton  Mather,  in  his  Magnalia,  maintains 
that  the  propositions  of  the  synod  of  1662  would 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH. 


have  been  inserted  in  the  celebrated  Cambridge 
Platform,  put  forth  by  the  synod  of  1648,  but 
"  for  the  opposition  of  one  eminent  person"; 
that  the  Rev.  John  Norton  was  in  favor  of  their 
introduction,  but  being  of  u  a  peaceable  temper," 
he  forbore  urging  them  against  this  opposition, 
so  that  when  they  were  asserted  by  the  synod 
u  which  met  more  than  twice  seven  years  after, 
many  people  did  count  them  novelties,"  while,  in 
fact,  they  were  old  verities,  in  harmony  with  the 
first  principles  and  practices  of  the  New  England 
churches.  However  this  may  be,  the  decision  of 
the  synod  of  1662  excited  a  controversy,  a  dif- 
ference of  opinion  and  practice  in  the  Congrega- 
tional churches,  which  had  not  subsided  when 
our  fathers  contemplated  the  formation  of  this 
society. 

Another  question  agitated  during  this  period 
was  that  of  the  relative  right  of  the  church  and 
the  congregation  in  the  choice  of  a  pastor  and  the 
direction  of  parish  affairs.  So  far  as  the  Puri- 
tans, who  sought  freedom  and  refuge  in  this  West- 
ern wilderness,  had  any  definite  plan  or  policy, 
it  seems  to  have  been  that  of  a  spiritual  common- 
wealth, in  which  religion  should  be  the  controlling 
power  of  the  state.  They  aimed  not  at  an  alli- 
ance of  church  and  state,  but  they  made  the 
church  the  state.  Spiritual  regeneration  and  civil 
right  were  conjoined.     Unless  a  man  was  a  mem- 


10  THE    HISTORY    OF 

ber  of  the  church,  he  was  not  a  free  citizen  of 
the  state,  had  no  right  to  vote  in  civil  matters, 
and  of  course  none  in  religious  matters.  The 
church,  through  its  members,  was  to  be  the  head 
of  the  state,  and  through  connection  with  the 
church  the  individual  was  to  secure  civil  privi- 
lege and  power  as  a  citizen.  During  the  lives  of 
the  original  emigrants,  who  were  to  a  man  almost 
members  of  the  church,  moved  to  voluntary  exile 
by  religious  motive  and  principle,  little  objection 
to  this  course  existed,  or  was  made  manifest. 
But  when  the  second  generation  came  upon  the 
stage,  and  the  number  of  those  who  were  not 
members  of  the  church  began  to  increase,  and 
ultimately  form  the  majority  in  every  town  and 
in  every  congregation,  the  arbitrary  and  unequal 
character  of  the  rule  became  more  and  more 
apparent,  and  opposition  to  it  was  excited.  So 
far  as  any  civil  disabilities  accompanied  non- 
church-membership  they  were  soon  removed,  and 
as  early  as  1662,  in  all  the  Massachusetts  planta- 
tions, every  freeholder,  whether  church-member 
or  not,  was  a  citizen  entitled  to  vote  in  the  elec- 
tion of  magistrates,  and  to  have  a  voice  in  all 
civil  affairs.  But  in  ecclesiastical  matters,  —  in 
the  choice  of  pastors  and  the  direction  of  parish 
affairs,  —  the  church  struggled  for,  and  for  some 
time  retained,  first  exclusive  control,  and  then  the 
right  of  taking  the  initiatory  steps,  giving  its  direc- 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  11 

tion  to  the  action  of  the  congregation.  This 
right  of  the  church  was  sometimes  contested,  and 
sometimes  yielded  apparently  without  a  struggle  ; 
—  as  in  the  case  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bowles,  who 
received  a  call  from  the  church  in  Dedham,  in 
January,  16S5,  "the  inhabitants  voting  together 
without  distinction  of  communicants  and  non- 
communicants,  it  being  decided  in  a  general 
meeting,  that  '  the  church  and  town  will  act  to- 
gether as  one,'  the  church  taking  no  separate 
vote."  Another  instance  of  this  occurred  thir- 
teen years  earlier,  in  1672,  when  the  Rev. 
Charles  Nicholet  was  invited  to  settle  over  the 
First  Church  in  Salem,  the  church  and  the  con- 
gregation acting  as  one  in  extending  the  invita- 
tion. Another  example  of  the  kind  is  afforded, 
also,  by  the  First  Church  in  Charlestown,  in 
1697.*  We  learn  from  Cotton  Mather,  that  ar- 
tifice was  sometimes  resorted  to  on  the  part  of 
the  church  in  order  to  retain  the  semblance  of 
power,  and  of  having  taken  the  lead  in  ecclesiasti- 
cal measures.  Thus,  in  case  of  vacancy  in  the 
pastoral  office,  the  church  would  elect  three  or 
four  of  the  most  popular  candidates,  so  that,  on 
whichsoever  of  them  the  choice  of  the  congrega- 
tion might  fall,  it  could  still  be  said,  "  The  church 
has  chosen  him."     As  the  parish,  the  congrega- 

*  Lamson's    History   of  the    First    Church    in    Dedham, 
p.  90. 


12  THE    HISTORY    OF 

tion,  was  the  party  bound  to  support  the  clergy- 
man, and  every  man,  whether  a  church-member 
or  not,  had  to  contribute  towards  this  object, 
it  seems  somewhat  strange  to  us  now  that  this 
question,  when  all  the  right  and  justice  seem  so 
manifestly  on  one  side,  should  have  arisen.  Yet 
so  it  was,  and  the  question  was  somewhat  largely 
agitated  at  the  time  our  fathers  contemplated  the 
formation  of  this  society. 

Another  matter  which  was  occasionally  agitated 
during  this  period,  and  in  respect  to  which  the  pub- 
lic mind  had  undergone  some  changes,  was  that  of 
"  the  public  relation  of  their  experience  n  on  the 
part  of  those  who  offered  themselves  for  admission 
to  the  church.  By  many  this  was  thought  to  be  of 
great  importance,  and  was  insisted  upon  by  some 
churches  with  inflexible  perseverance.  Others 
objected  to  it,  and  were  disposed  to  discontinue 
it,  or  to  leave  it  optional  with  the  individual. 
The  number  of  communicants  was  gradually,  but 
surely,  growing  smaller  in  proportion  to  the  con- 
gregation ;  and  it  was  justly  thought  that  the  cus- 
tom of  requiring  a  public  relation  of  experience 
tended  to  keep  from  the  church  and  communion- 
table many  timid,  modest,  and  worthy  persons. 
In  many  minds,  also,  the  argument  against  it  was 
one  not  only  of  expediency,  but  of  right.  They 
regarded  it  as  an  unjustifiable  assumption  on  the 
part  of  the  church,  to  impose  this  public  relation 
of  religious  experience. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  13 

The  most  appropriate  mode  of  conducting  the 
services  of  public  worship  began  at  this  period  to 
attract  some  attention.  Indications  were  mani- 
fested of  a  readiness  to  adopt  some  changes  that 
should  give  to  these  services  more  variety  and 
interest. 

As  is  usual  in  all  cases  of  contest  and  separa- 
tion, the  Puritan  Non-conformists,  in  leaving  the 
Church  of  England,  swung  far  to  the  other 
extreme,  and  in  matters  insignificant,  as  well  as 
in  those  of  moment,  aimed  to  mark  their  separa- 
tion by  as  wide  a  difference  as  possible.  In  the 
English  Church  service  the  Scriptures  were 
largely  read.  Nearly  all  the  Psalms  were  re- 
peated once  a  month,  and  lessons  from  the  Old 
and  New  Testament  marked  out  for  every  Sun- 
day in  the  year.  The  Puritans  would  have  none 
of  this.  They  discarded  altogether  the  reading 
of  the  Scriptures  in  public  worship.  These 
Scriptures  could  be  read  by  each  individual  at 
home,  in  such  portions  as  his  taste,  judgment,  or 
spiritual  wants  might  dictate.  In  the  English 
Church  service,  also,  there  were  various,  and,  as 
they  thought,  unnecessarily  multiplied  prayers, 
together  with  the  frequent  repetition  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  and,  interspersed  with  these,  a 
large  amount  of  singing  and  chanting.  The 
Puritans  disliked  all  this  ;  they  would  have  their 
mode  of  public  worship  as  distinct  as  possible. 


14  THE    HISTORY    OF 

They  would  not  use  the  Lord's  Prayer  at  all  in 
public  worship,  and  to  do  so  soon  came  in  their 
judgment  to  savor  of  prelacy.  They  would 
have  but  one  prayer  and  one  singing,  and  as  for 
the  rest,  they  would  have  the  services  of  public 
worship  what  they  ought  to  be, — not  "  vain 
repetitions  "  before  God,  who  was  "  not  to  be 
worshipped  with  men's  hands  as  though  he  needed 
any  thing,"  but  the  instruction  of  the  people  in 
truth  and  righteousness.  The  sermon,  the  dis- 
cussion and  enforcement  of  sound  doctrine  and 
godly  living,  —  this  was  the  prominent  point  with 
the  Puritans  in  the  religious  services  of  the  Lord's 
day. 

The  facts  to  which  I  have  just  alluded  may 
help  to  throw  some  light  upon  a  matter  that  has 
often  excited  surprise,  and  filled  some  hearts  with 
the  apprehension  that  the  piety  of  these  modern 
days  has  grown  cold,  has  little  internal  heat, 
namely,  the  patience  with  which  our  fathers  lis- 
tened to  sermons  which  not  infrequently  wTent  far 
into  the  second  hour.  But  when  we  consider 
that  there  was  no  reading  of  the  Scriptures  in 
public  worship,  and  commonly  but  one  prayer 
and  one  singing,  it  may  be  that  the  whole  time 
occupied  did  not  very  much  exceed  what  is  now 
devoted  to  these  services. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  when  the  second  generation 
came  upon  the  stage,  who  had  received  only  by  in- 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  15 

heritance,  and  not  by  actual  contact,  the  prejudices 
which  their  fathers  entertained  towards  any  thing 
resembling  what  was  termed  "  prelatic  modes  of 
worship,"  the  dryness  and  monotony  of  the 
strictly  Puritan  mode  began  to  be  felt.  Some 
changes  suggested  themselves  as  desirable.  It 
was  thought  that  the  reading  of  a  portion  of 
Scripture,  w7ith  brief  occasional  expositions  by 
the  pastor,  would  tend  to  increase  the  interest 
and  the  edification  of  the  public  religious  services 
of  the  Lord's  day.  It  was  found  that  music  had 
its  power  and  its  place  as  an  instrument  of  relig- 
ious impression  and  spiritual  growth,  and  that 
some  improvement  and  more  use  might  wisely  be 
made  of  this  instrument.  It  does  not  appear  that 
there  was  any  discussion  of  these  matters,  nor 
can  I  ascertain  that  any  changes  in  this  respect 
were  introduced  before  the  establishment  of  this 
society  ;  but  there  are  indications  of  a  disposi- 
tion, a  readiness,  to  make  some  changes. 

I  have  been  thus  particular  in  the  view  I  have 
presented,  because  it  seemed  to  me  to  be  neces- 
sary in  order  to  a  complete  understanding  of  the 
circumstances  under  which  this  church  originated, 
and  a  just  appreciation  of  the  credit  due  to  those 
who  undertook  the  enterprise,  and  carried  it 
forward  to  a  successful  accomplishment.  This 
object  clearly  was  to  found  a  religious  society  in 
which  the  liberal  side  on  all  the  questions  which 


16  THE    HISTORY    OF 

have  been  considered  should  be  established  and 
maintained.  But  they  were  not  the  first  to  assert, 
and  to  some  extent  act  upon,  these  liberal  opin- 
ions and  principles.  I  had  all  along  supposed, 
before  studying  the  subject  with  some  care,  that 
the  founders  of  this  church  were  the  first  to  assert 
in  ecclesiastical  matters  the  principle  which  is 
now  held  so  sacred  both  in  civil  and  ecclesiasti- 
cal affairs,  that  all  who  were  taxed  should  vote  ; 
that  all  who  contributed  to  the  support  of  the  pas- 
tor should  have  a  voice  in  his  election,  and  in  the 
direction  of  parish  affairs.  But  this  was  clearly 
not  the  case,  as,  in  three  several  instances  during 
the  fifteen  years  previous  to  the  formation  of  this 
society,  this  principle  had  been  asserted  and 
acted  upon.  And  perhaps,  were  all  the  records 
of  the  early  New  England  churches  examined, 
several  other  instances  might  be  found.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  other  points.  The 
liberal  side  of  these  had  been  advocated,  if  not 
adopted  and  acted  upon.  There  had  been  a 
gradual  progress  of  liberal  sentiment.  The  rigor 
of  Calvinistic  Puritanism  had  somewhat  abated 
after  the  death  of  the  generation  to  whom  it  was 
precious  through  persecutions  endured  in  its  be- 
half, and  into  whose  souls  it  had,  as  it  were, 
been  branded  with  a  red-hot  iron.  "  The  free  air 
of  the  wilderness  "  had  had  its  effect  upon  those 
who  had  breathed  it  from  infancy  or  early  youth. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  17 

Their  minds,  untrammelled  by  the  prejudices 
and  no  longer  restrained  by  the  presence  and 
influence  of  those  who  came  over  in  the  May- 
flower in  1620,  or  with  Higginson  and  Skelton 
in  1629,  or  with  Winthrop  in  1630,  were  free  to 
adopt  what  seemed  to  them  good  in  the  forms  and 
institutions  of  religion.  Through  the  gradual  prog- 
ress of  public  opinion,  the  way  was  prepared  for 
the  adoption  of  some  changes  and  improvements 
in  these  things  ;  and  the  merit  of  our  fathers 
in  this  matter,  I  conceive,  is  this,  —  that  they 
seized  the  right  moment  and  the  right  way  to 
make  these  changes.  They  sought  not  to  breed 
dissension  and  disunion  in  any  existing  society,  to 
interfere  with  and  overthrow  its  established  order 
and  customs.  They  sought  not  to  introduce  too 
extensive  and  radical  changes,  not  to  be  in  ad- 
vance of  their  age,  but  to  be  up  with  it,  to  lead 
it  wisely  to  principles  and  measures  just  and 
reasonable  in  themselves,  and  which  it  was  not 
indisposed  or  unprepared  to  adopt.  Their  high 
object  was  to  found  a  new  Christian  Congrega- 
tional church,  upon  the  broad,  catholic,  but  con- 
servative principles  of  Congregationalism,  —  a 
church  in  which  a  just  liberty  and  privilege  should 
be  allowed  to  all,  and  nothing  imposed  upon  any 
individual,  beyond  what  was  necessary  to  the  con- 
stitution of  any  social  religious  institution,  and  the 
public  administration  of  the  Christian   ordinances. 

2 


18  THE    HISTORY    OF 

They  aimed  not,  as  is  sometimes  the  case  in  the 
formation  of  new  societies  at  the  present  day,  to 
hold  out  the  idea  that  there  was  something  very 
peculiar  in  the  character  of  their  society,  some- 
thing in  the  principles  of  its  organization  and  con- 
templated modes  of  action  making  it  altogether  dis- 
tinct and  different  from  others,  but  rather  to  show 
the  extent  of  their  union  and  harmony  with  others, 
and  that,  in  the  particulars  in  which  they  saw 
"cause  to  depart  from  what  is  ordinarily  pro- 
fessed and  practised  by  the  churches  of  Christ 
here  in  New  England,"  there  was  no  just  ground 
for  suspicion  and  jealousy  towards  them. 

This  suspicion  and  jealousy  were  indeed  enter- 
tained. They  met  with  distrust,  if  not  with  strong 
opposition.  Though  the  "undertakers,"  as  they 
style  themselves,  were  men  of  high  standing  and 
character,  men  of  substance  and  influence,  some  of 
them  holding  important  official  station,  —  though 
it  is  probable,  from  a  comparison  of  names,  that 
portions  of  them  had  previously  been  connected 
with  one  or  another  of  the  three  societies  then  ex- 
isting in  the  town,  — it  does  not  appear  that  their 
enterprise  met  with  any  encouragement  or  sympa- 
thy from  either  of  the  ministers  of  these  societies. 
So  much  ignorance  and  prejudice  prevailed  in 
relation  to  the  movement,  that  in  November, 
1699,  a  few  weeks  before  their  church  was  dedi- 
cated, the  "  undertakers  n  published  u  A  Mani- 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  ]9 

festo  or  Declaration,"  setting  forth  their  aims 
and  designs,  together  with  the  principles  and  rules 
they  intended  by  God's  grace  to  adhere  unto. 
The  original  of  this  important  document  is  not  on 
the  files,  nor  in  the  records,  of  the  church.  It 
was  printed  on  "  a  half  folio  sheet,"  in  a  con- 
venient form  for  circulation,  and  in  this  way  dis- 
tributed to  the  churches.  Dr.  Palfrey,  in  a  note 
to  his  sermon,  says,  he  had  "  not  been  able  to 
find  an  original  copy  of  it,"  but  used  a  manuscript 
copy  made  by  the  late  Judge  Thacher  in  1S07. 
Since  that  time  a  copy  of  the  original  publication 
has  been  discovered,  and  is  now  in  my  hands. 
As  it  was  found  among  the  papers  of  a  clergyman 
long  since  deceased,  formerly  pastor  of  one  of 
the  Congregational  churches  at  the  North  End,  it 
is  not  impossible  that  it  may  have  found  its  way 
into  his  possession  from  the  files  of  the  Second 
Church,  and  be,  therefore,  the  original  copy  sent 
by  the  undertakers  to  the  pastor  of  that  church, 
then  worshipping  at  the  head  of  North  Square. 
As  this  document,  of  no  little  interest  and  impor- 
tance in  the  history  of  this  church,  is  known  to 
but  few  of  my  hearers,  I  shall  read  it  from  the 
original  copy  to  which  I  have  just  referred. 
Thus  it  begins  :  — 


20  THE    HISTORY    OF 

A 

MANIFESTO 

O  R 

Declaration, 

Set  forth  by  the  Undertakers  of  the 

New    Church 

Now  Erected  in  Boston  in  New- England,  November  17th.  1699. 

INJ2SMVCH  as  GOD  hath  put  it  into  our 
hearts  to  undertake  the  Building  a  New 
Meeting-House  in  this  Town  for  His  Publick 
Worship ;  And  whereas  through  the  gracious 
Smiles  of  Divine  Providence  on  this  our  Vnder- 
taking,  We  now  see  the  same  Erected,  and  near 
Finished  :  We  think  it  Convenient,  for  prevent- 
ing all  Misapprehensions  and  Jealousies,  to  pub- 
lish our  Aims  and  Designs  herein,  together  with 
those  Principles  and  Rules  we  intend  by  G  O  D  S 
Grace  to  adhere  unto. 

We  do  therefore  as  in  the  Presence  of  G  OD 
our  Judge,  and  with  all  the  Sincerity  and  Serious- 
ness, which  the  nature  of  our  present  Engagement 
Commands  from  us,  Profess  and  Declare  both  to 
one  another,  and  to  all  the  World,  as  follows. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  21 

First  of  all,  We  approve  and  subscribe  the 
Confession  of  Faith  put  forth  by  the  Assembly 
of  Divines  at  Westmirisler. 

in.] 

We  design  only  the  true  and  pure  Worship  of 
GOD,  according  to  the  Rules  appearing  plainly 
to  us  in  His  Word  ;  Conformably  to  the  known 
practice  of  many  of  the  Churches  of  the  UNIT- 
ED BRETHREN  in  London,  and  through- 
out all  England. 

We  judge  it  therefore  most  suitable  and  con- 
venient, that  in  our  Publick  Worship  some  part  of 
the  Holy  Scripture  be  read  by  the  Minister  at  his 
discretion. 

In  all  other  parts  of  Divine  Worship  as 
(Prayer,  Singing,  Preaching,  Blessing  the  Peo- 
ple, and  Administring  the  Sacraments  ;)  We 
conform  to  the  ordinary  practice  of  the  Churches 
of  Christ  in  this  Country. 

It  is  our  sincere  desire  and  intention  to  hold 
Communion  with  the  Churches  here,  as  true 
Churches  ;  and  we  openly  protest  against  all 
Suspicion  and  Jealousie  to  the  contrary,  as  most 
Injurious  to  us. 


22  THE    HISTORY    OF 

[IF.] 

And  although  in  some  Circumstances  we  may 
vary  from  many  of  them  ;  yet  we  joyntly  profess 
to  maintain  such  Order  and  Rules  of  Discipline 
as  may  preserve,  as  far  as  in  us  lies,  Evangelical 
Purity  and  Holiness  in  our  Communion. 

[F".] 

In  pursuance  whereof  we  further  Declare,  that 
we  allow  of  Baptism  to  those  only  who  profess 
their  Faith  in  Christ  and  Obedience  to  him,  and 
to  the  Children  of  such  ;  yet  we  dare  not  refuse 
it  to  any  Child  offered  to  us  by  any  professed 
Christian,  upon  his  engagement  to  see  it  Edu- 
cated, if  God  give  life  and  ability,  in  the  Chris- 
tian Religion. 

But  this  being  a  Ministerial  Act,  We  think  it 
the  Pastors  Province  to  receive  such  Professions 
and  Engagements  ;  in  whose  prudence  and  con- 
science we  acquiesce. 

[VI.] 

As  to  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lords  Supper, 
we  believe  that  as  the  Ordinance  is  Holy,  so  the 
Partakers  in  it  (that  it  may  not  be  visibly  pro- 
faned) must  be  persons  of  visible  Sanctity. 

[FIL] 

We  judge  it    therefore  fitting   and   expedient, 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  23 

that  whoever  would  be  admitted  to  partake  with 
us  in  this  Holy  Sacrament,  be  accountable  to  the 
Pastor  to  whom  it  belongs  to  inquire  into  their 
knowledge  and  Spiritual  State,  and  to  require  the 
Renewal  of  their  Baptismal  Covenant. 

[VIII.] 

But  we  assume  not  to  our  selves  to  impose 
upon  any  a  Publick  Relation  of  their  Experi- 
ences ;  however  if  any  one  think  himself  bound 
in  Conscience  to  make  such  a  Relation,  let  him 
do  it. 

For  we  conceive  it  sufficient,  if  the  Pastor 
publickly  declare  himself  satisfied  in  the  person 
offered  to  our  Communion,  and  seasonably  Pro- 
pound him. 

[IX.] 

We  also  think  our  selves  obliged  in  faithfulness 
to  God,  our  own  Souls,  and  theirs  who  seek  our 
Communion,  to  inquire  into  the  life  and  conversa- 
tion of  those  who  are  so  propounded  ;  and  if  we 
have  just  matter  of  objection  to  prefer  it  against 
them. 

[X.] 

But  if  no  objection  be  made,  before  the  time 
of  their  standing  propounded  is  expired,  it  shall 
be    esteemed  a   sufficient  Consent   and  Concur- 


24  THE    HISTORY    OF 

rence  of  the  Brethren,  and  the  person  propounded 
shall  be  received  to  our  Communion. 

[XL] 

If  ever  any  of  our  Communion  should  be  so 
unhappy  as  to  fall  into  any  scandalous  Sin  (which 
God  by  his  Grace  prevent)  we  profess  all  dutiful 
submission  to  those  Censures,  which  the  Scrip- 
ture directs,  and  the  Churches  here  practice. 

[XII.] 

Forasmuch  as  the  same  power  that  Admits, 
should  also  Exclude,  We  judge  it  reasonable,  that 
the  Pastor  in  Suspending  or  Excommunicating 
an  Offender,  have  the  consent  and  concurrence  of 
the  Brethren. 

[XIIL] 

We  apprehend  that  a  particular  Church,  as 
such,  is  a  Society  of  Christians  by  mutual  agree- 
ment, usually  meeting  together  for  Publick  Wor- 
ship in  the  same  place,  and  under  the  same  Min- 
istry, attending  on  the  Ordinances  of  God  there. 

[XIV.-] 

In  every  such  Society,  the  Law  of  nature 
dictates  to  us,  that  there  is  implied  a  mutual 
promise  and  engagement  of  being  faithful  to  the 
Relations    they  bear   to    each   other,  whither    as 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  25 

private  Christians,  or  as  Pastor  and  Flock,  so 
long  as  the  Providence  of  God  continues  them  in 
those  Relations. 

[xr.] 

We  moreover  Declare  our  selves  for  Com- 
munion of  Churches,  freely  allowing  our  Mem- 
bers occasionally  to  Communicate  with  other 
Churches  of  Christ,  and  receiving  theirs  occa- 
sionallv  to  the  Table  of  the  Lord  with  us.  And 
in  extraordinary  cases,  when  the  Providence  of 
God  makes  it  needful,  we  conceive  that  any 
Authorized  Minister  of  Christ,  may  upon  our 
Request,  Administer  the  Sacraments  unto  us. 

[XVL] 

Finally,  We  cannot  confine  the  right  of  chus- 
ing  a  Minister  to  the  Male  Communicants  alone, 
but  we  think  that  every  Baptized  Adult  Person 
who  contributes  to  the  Maintenance,  should  have 
a  Vote  in  Electing. 

Yet  it  seems  but  just,  that  persons  of  the 
greatest  Piety,  Gravity,  Wisdom,  Authority  or 
other  Endowments,  should  be  leading  and  Influ- 
ential to  the  Society  in  that  Affair. 

THESE  are  the  Principles  we  Profess,  and 
the  Rules  we  purpose  through  the  Grace 
of  GOD,  to  govern  our  selves  by  ;  and  in  some 


26  THE    HISTORY    OF 

of  these  particulars  only,  and  in  no  other,  do  we 
see  cause  to  depart  from  what  is  ordinarily  Profess- 
ed and  Practised  by  the  Churches  of  CHRIST 
here  in  New-England. 

There  is  nothing  that  determines  the  author- 
ship of  this  Manifesto  or  Declaration  ;  the  infer- 
ence that  its  publication  was  suggested  by  Dr. 
Colman,  and  that  it  was  prepared  by  him,  seems 
to  be  sustained  by  the  circumstances  of  the  case. 
The  association  of  "  Undertakers,"  who  were 
to  carry  forward  the  enterprise  of  building  a 
church  and  forming  a  new  religious  society  in  the 
town,  had  now  been  in  existence  nearly  two, 
years.  From  the  beginning,  the  movement  had 
been  regarded  with  coldness  and  distrust  ;  but  so 
far  as  we  can  learn,  no  public  declaration  had  been 
made  to  satisfy  public  curiosity  as  to  its  charac- 
ter and  purpose,  or  remove  the  ignorance  that 
existed  or  the  prejudice  that  had  been  awakened 
against  it.  Dr.  Colman  had  been  invited  to 
become  the  pastor  of  the  society,  and  arrived  in 
this  country  from  England  on  the  1st  of  Novem- 
ber. On  the  19th  of  that  month,  the  Manifesto 
was  published.  As  it  had  not  been  done  before, 
when  there  was  equal  occasion  for  it,  and  was 
done  so  soon  after  his  arrival,  it  seems  to  be  a 
natural  inference  to  trace  the  doing  of  it  now  to 
his    mind.      A  man  of  great  practical  wTisdom, 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  27 

of  large  discernment,  he  saw  at  once  the  neces- 
sity of  such  a  public  declaration,  both  for  his  own 
reputation  and  standing  among  the  New  England 
clergy,  and  for  the  prosperity  and  the  just  appre- 
ciation of  the  church  of  which  he  was  to  be  pas- 
tor and  the  society  whose  temporal  and  spiritual 
prosperity  he  was  to  labor  to  promote.  The 
result  justified  the  correctness  of  his  judgment. 
The  Manifesto,  so  full  and  explicit  upon  the  most 
important  points  both  of  theology  and  of  church 
order  and  discipline,  at  once  enlightened  the  pub- 
lic mind  as  to  the  character  and  principles  of 
the  new  society.  It  led  to  a  sharp  controversy, 
indeed,  in  which  several  interesting  tracts  or 
pamphlets  were  published.  Of  the  two  most  im- 
portant of  them,  one  was  entitled,  "  The  Order 
of  the  Gospel  "  ;  the  other,  a  reply  to  it,  was 
entitled,  "  Gospel  Order  Revived."  The  former 
was  prepared  by  Dr.  Increase  Mather,  and  made 
its  appearance  early  in  January,  1700,  about  two 
months  after  the  Manifesto  was  published,  the 
principles  of  which  are  stated  in  the  Dedicatory 
Epistle,  and,  together  with  some  others,  elaborate- 
ly controverted  in  the  work.  The  other,  "Gos- 
pel Order  Revived,"  was  published  in  the  course 
of  the  following  spring  or  summer,  and  purports 
to  have  been  prepared  "  by  sundry  Ministers  of 
the  Gospel  in  New  England."  It  is  presumed  to 
have   been  principally  from  the  pen  of  Colman, 


28  THE    HISTORY    OF 

aided  by  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Bradstreet  of  Charles- 
town  and  Woodbridge  of  Hartford.    Several  other 
similar  publications  followed  these,  in  the  course 
of  the  next  two  or  three  years,  all  of  them  making 
reference,    more    or  less    direct,    to    the    Mani- 
festo, and   the   principles   adopted  and  practised 
upon  by  this  church.      In  a  manuscript  volume 
entitled    "  Colman    Papers,"     preserved    in    the 
library  of  the  Massachusetts   Historical  Society, 
may  be  found,  among  other  interesting  documents, 
a  letter  of  admonition  and  rebuke,  addressed  to 
the   "Undertakers"    by    the    Salem    ministers, 
Higginson  and  Noyes.     This  letter,  which  ought 
to    have    been    preserved    on    the    files    of    this 
church,    with   whose   early   history   it  is  so  inti- 
mately connected,    serves    also   to   illustrate   the 
character  of  the  times  and  the  relative  position  of 
the  clergy.     I  have,  therefore,  obtained  leave  of 
the  Historical   Society   to  publish   the   following 
copy  of  it  :  — 

"  To  the  Gentlemen,  the  authors  and  owners 
of  the  Declaration,  set  forth  by  those  who  call 
themselves  the  Undertakers  of  the  new  church 
now  erected  in  Boston,  in  New  England,  No- 
vember 19th,  1699.  We,  the  ministers  of  Salem, 
having  received  the  said  declaration  from  Cap- 
tain Benjamin  Davis,  think  it  our  duty  to  offer 
our  advice  ;  and  do  humbly  offer  it  in  the  follow- 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  29 

ing  particulars,   praying  that  it  may  be   consid- 
ered in  the  fear  of  God. 

"  1.  We  advise  you  that  the  word  Manifesto  in 
the  frontispiece  is  offensive,  it  being  a  sovereign, 
imperious  word,  and  whatever  it  signify  in  its  na- 
tive etymology,  yet  in  its  common  use  it  signifies 
the  declaration  of  a  prince  or  state  about  public 
affairs,  and  often  for  showing  the  reason  of  their 
taking  up  arms.  Though  we  believe  you  in- 
tended it  not  so,  yet  it  is  too  much  that  it  looks 
like  it,  and  needs  to  be  removed.  It  is  an  hum- 
bling consideration  in  such  an  undertaking  to 
stumble  at  the  threshold. 

"2.  We  cannot  but  think  you  might  have  en- 
tered upon  your  declaration  with  more  reverence 
and  humility  than  so  solemnly  to  appeal  to  God, 
your  judge,  that  you  do  it  with  all  the  sincerity 
and  seriousness  the  nature  of  your  engagement 
commands  from  you  ;  seeing  you  were  most  of 
you  much  unstudied  in  the  controversial  points 
of  church  order  and  discipline,  and  yet  did  not 
advise  with  the  neighboring  churches  or  elders  ; 
but  with  a  great  deal  of  confidence  and  freedom, 
set  up  by  yourselves.  Sirs  !  how  could  you  for- 
sake the  dear  churches  some  of  you  belonged  to, 
whose  breasts  you  had  sucked,  and  on  whose 
knees  you  had  been  dandled,  without  dropping 
one  tear  for  it  in  your  declaration  ?  How  could 
you  forsake  the  footsteps  of  the  flock,  the  prac- 


30  THE    HISTORY    OF 

tice  of  the  churches  in  New  England  in  such  and 
so  many  instances,  yea,  and  the  principles  of  the 
united  ministers  in  Old  England  also  ?  Truly, 
Sirs,  if  you  did  it  without  much  seeking  of  God 
by  fasting  and  prayer,  without  much  fear  and 
trembling,  without  the  most  mature  deliberation 
of  your  own,  and  without  much  advising  with 
others  that  were  at  least  as  likely  to  know  the 
mind  of  God  as  yourselves,  you  were  not  so 
serious  and  sincere  as  they  had  need  to  be  who 
appeal  to  the  heart-searching  God  as  their  judge. 
"  3.  We  cannot  conceal  from  you  how  we  re- 
sent your  making  a  church  and  church-members 
without  so  much  as  making  a  public  and  personal 
profession  of  your  repentance  toward  God  and 
your  faith  towards  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
without  a  public  and  personal  giving  up  your- 
selves to  God  in  Christ,  according  to  the  cove- 
nant of  his  grace.  If  any  such  thing  had  been, 
we  should  surely  have  found  something  of  it  in 
the  4th,  8th,  12th,  or  13th  article  ;  but  there  is 
nothing  of  this  public  and  personal  profession 
and  covenanting  so  much  as  hinted,  but  rather  the 
needlessness  of  it  implied  :  if  we  understand  those 
articles,  Sirs,  how  is  it  you  did  not  consider  that 
the  followers  of  the  Lamb  on  Mount  Zion  have 
his  Father's  name  written  in  their  foreheads  ? 
(Rev.  xiv.  1.)  Hath  God  promised  to  bring 
any  to   his  holy  mountain    and    to   make    them 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  31 

joyful  in  bis  house  of  prayer  unless  they  take 
hold  of  his  covenant  ?  See  Isaiah  vi.  4,  5,  6. 
See  also  Jeremiah  1.  5,  <  They  shall  go  the  way 
to  Zion,  with  their  faces  thitherward,  saying, 
Come,  let  us  join  ourselves  to  the  Lord  in  an 
everlasting  covenant,  never  to  be  forgotten,' 
compared  with  Deut.  xxvi.  17,  18,  l  Thou  hast 
avouched  the  Lord  this  day  to  be  thy  God,  and 
to  walk  in  his  ways,  and  the  Lord  hath  avouched 
thee  this  day  to  be  his  peculiar  people,'  &c.  See 
also  Deut.  xxix.  9,  10,  11,  12,  13,  '  You  stand 
this  day  all  of  you  before  the  Lord  your  God, 
that  thou  shouldest  enter  into  covenant  with  the 
Lord  thy  God,  that  he  may  establish  thee  to-day 
for  a  people  unto  himself,'  &c.  See  also  2  Cor. 
xi.  2.  Doth  not  espousing  the  church  of  Cor- 
inth to  Christ  plainly  imply  a  covenant  and  con- 
tract ?  Is  not  the  Church  subsequently  called 
the  bride,  the  spouse,  the  wife  of  Christ  ?  Sure- 
ly explicitly  covenanting  is  ordinarily  necessary  to 
the  well-being,  not  the  being,  of  the  Church. 

"  4.  It  seemeth  by  your  5th  article,  you  allow 
baptism  to  parents  and  their  children  on  lighter 
terms  than  the  public  personal  profession  and 
covenanting  before  spoken  of ;  which  we  appre- 
hend to  be  contrary  to  the  foregoing  texts  and 
many  others. 

11  5.  For  aught  we  can  see  to  the  contrary, 
you  do,  in  the  5th  article,  contradict  yourselves, 


32  THE    HISTORY    OF 

as  well  as  us,  for  after  you  have  expressed  you 
allow  baptism  only  to  such  and  such,  you  say 
you  do  not  deny  it  to  others  also,  and  that  in 
such  words  as  will  admit  of  godfathers  and  god- 
mothers in  the  utmost  latitude,  and  so  at  length 
all  will  be  promiscuously  baptized. 

"6.  After  lax,  and  as  we  judge  too  lax,  ad- 
mission to  sacraments,  the  discipline  you  expound 
seemeth  to  us  too  slender  and  remiss,  seeing  you 
allow  the  brethren  no  more  in  suspending  and 
excommunicating  than  you  had  before  in  admit- 
ting, and  yet  have  no  consistory  of  elders  among 
yourselves,  nor  say  any  thing  of  any  help  you 
expect  from  neighboring  elders  or  churches,  in 
the  most  difficult  cases.  You  seem  to  us  to  put 
more  confidence  in  your  pastor  than  is  meet  to 
be  put  in  any  one  man  living. 

"7.  Though  you  speak  of  communion  of 
churches,  you  seem  to  take  it  in  a  very  re- 
strained sense,  as  if  communion  of  churches  ex- 
tended no  farther  than  communion  of  members 
at  the  Lord's  table  and  of  ministers  in  sacramental 
administration,  having  omitted  in  your  declaration, 
and  in  your  practice  (as  we  are  informed),  the 
seeking  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  of  neighbor 
churches  to  your  church  and  of  neighboring  elders 
to  your  pastor,  which  to  us  seemeth  very  unac- 
countable, and  that  neither  yourselves  nor  your 
minister  have  sufficiently  considered  the  danger 
of  being  alone.    Eccl.  iv.  9,  10,  11,  12. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  33 

"  8.  Seeing  the  Lord  Jesus  was  faithful  in  his 
house  as  a  son,  and  we  have  the  mind  of  Christ 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  you  might  have  found 
some  other  direction  and  obligation  to  relative 
duties  between  pastor  and  flock,  and  brother  and 
brother,  besides  the  dictates  of  the  law  of  nature  ; 
and  yet,  when  the  law  of  nature  was  dictating,  we 
see  no  reason  why  it  should  not  dictate  that  an 
explicit  mutual  promise  and  agreement  about  rela- 
tive duties  would  be  more  effectual  to  obtain  the 
end.  There  is  a  little  book  (called  *  Spiritual 
Milk  for  Boston  Babes,  drawn  out  of  the  Breasts 
of  both  Testaments'),  which  had  a  great  au- 
thor, and  many  of  you  had  special  reason  to  re- 
gard ;  that,  with  the  Scriptures  annexed  in  the 
margin,  might  have  been  very  helpful  to  you  in 
denning  a  particular  church,  and  about  the  obliga- 
tions to  relative  duties  ;  to  which  we  refer  you, 
praying  you  to  consider  the  questions  with  their 
answers,  and  the  Scriptures  produced  for  proof 
annexed  in  the  margin,  —  beginning  at  that  ques- 
tion,  '  What  is  the  church  ? '  and  so  forward. 

"9.  It  seemeth  to  us  by  your  13th  and  14th 
articles,  that  if  a  member  of  your  society  should 
be  so  unholy,  as  well  as  unhappy,  as  to  fall  into 
any  scandalous  sin,  and  should  then  forsake  the 
town,  or  forsake  attending  the  public  worship  of 
God  in  your  assembly,  he  would  no  longer  be 
subject  to  the  discipline  of  Christ  in  your  church  ; 

3 


34  THE    HISTOKY    OF 

for  by  his  withdrawing,  he  ceaseth  to  be  a  mem- 
ber of  your  church  ;  and  consequently  not  subject 
to  any  censure  by  your  pastor.  The  consequence 
seemeth  to  us  as  intolerable  as  unavoidable. 

"  10.  Your  last  article  must  needs  be  offensive, 
seeing  it  has  a  direct  tendency  to  subvert  the 
ministry  and  grace  and  order  and  liberty  of  all 
the  churches  in  the  land,  and  that  whether  the 
word  male  be  in  or  out.  If  it  be  in,  the  females 
are  certainly  more  than  the  males,  and  conse- 
quently the  choice  of  ministers  is  put  into  their 
hands  ;  nor  doth  the  blotting  out  of  the  word 
male  wholly  remove  the  objection  ;  for  a  fe- 
male is  a  person,  as  well  as  a  male  ;  but  sup- 
posing nothing  of  that  be  insisted  upon,  yet  it  is 
certain  the  baptized  adult  non-communicants,  in 
most  if  not  all  the  assemblies  in  the  land,  are 
more  than  the  communicants,  and  consequently, 
if  they  should  take  their  rule  and  manners  from 
this  article,  they  might  make  worse  work  in  all 
the  churches  than  we  are  willing  to  say.  But 
we  hope  better  things. 

"11.  Was  it  fair  to  give  notice  to  the  wTorld, 
that  you  see  cause  to  depart  from  some  things 
that  are  ordinarily  professed  and  practised  in  the 
churches  of  New  England,  before  you  had  inform- 
ed the  churches  of  what  was  offensive  to  you,  and 
offered  conviction  to  them  by  the  word  of  God 
that  there  was  cause  so  to  do  ?    How  did  you  know 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  35 

but  by  that  means  you  might  have  let  in  such  light 
into  their  souls,  as  might  have  persuaded  them  to 
have  forsaken  their  own  principles  and  practices 
as  well  as  you  do  ?  If  you  could  have  convinced 
them  that  they  were  evil,  they  would  certainly 
have  done  so,  for  they  do  not  pretend  for  perfec- 
tion in  knowledge.  However  you  had  endeav- 
ored it,  you  would  have  been  more  excusable  in 
departing  from  them  ;  or  had  you  used  such 
means,  they  might  possibly  and  more  probably 
have  convinced  you  that  the  way  you  were  going 
in  was  not  safe  and  good,  and  if  so,  that  surely 
had  been  better  than  to  rush  on  in  an  evil  way. 
The  word  of  God  requires  us,  if  it  be  possible,  to 
live  peaceably  with  all  men,  and  surely  then  to 
live  peaceably  with  all  the  churches,  if  it  be  pos- 
sible. Did  you  well  consider  whether  emitting 
the  Manifesto  was  the  most  likely  way  to  live 
peaceably  with  all  the  churches  ?  Can  you  in 
cool  blood  think  that  nothing  else  could  possibly 
have  been  done  more  likely  to  have  made  or 
maintained  peace  between  the  churches  and  your- 
selves, and  if  so,  have  you  not  cause  to  regret 
that  you  did  any  thing  or  omitted  any  thing,  that 
having  been  done  or  omitted,  peace  might  have 
been  maintained  ? 

"  12.  We  might  also  inquire  why  you  did  not 
give  notice  to  the  world  that  you  departed  from 
the  principles  of  the   United    Ministers   in   Old 


36  THE    HISTORY    OF 

England,  seeing  it  is  certain  you  do,  as  who- 
ever is  impartial  shall  find,  if  he  compare  your 
declaration  with  the  Heads  of  Agreement  as- 
sented to  by  the  United  Ministers  formerly  called 
Presbyterian  and  Congregational  ;  particularly  let 
it  be  compared  with  the  3d,  4th,  and  5th  articles 
in  the  chapter  of  the  Ministry,  and  with  the  1st, 
4th,  5th,  and  6th  in  the  chapter  of  Communion 
of  Churches,  and  with  the  1st  article  of  Occa- 
sional Meetings  of  Ministers.  Sirs,  had  you  but 
contained  yourselves  within  the  limits  of  the  Heads 
of  Agreement  assented  to  by  the  United  Min- 
isters, you  might  have  assured  yourselves  of  the 
right  hand  of  fellowship  between  your  pastor  and 
other  pastors,  and  your  church  and  other  churches, 
and  how  easily  might  you  so  have  done  ;  and 
thereby  one  instance  might  have  been  given  that, 
notwithstanding  lesser  differences,  brethren  may 
dwell  together  in  unity,  and  that  it  is  good  and 
meet  to  do  so.  This  would  have  been  like 
precious  ointment  on  the  head  of  Aaron,  that 
ran  down  on  his  beard,  and  so  to  his  pectoral, 
that  perfumed  and  influenced  all  the  tribes  whose 
names  were  therein.  This  would  have  been  as 
the  dew  on  Hermon,  yea,  as  the  dew  on  Zion, 
where  God  commanded  the  blessing,  even  life 
for  ever  more.  But  alas  !  we  cannot  now  but 
fear  it  will  be  far  otherwise,  unless  God  shall 
persuade  you  to   revoke  your  Manifesto,  or  ex- 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  37 

plain  it  to  satisfaction,  by  adjusting  matters  be- 
tween yourselves  and  neighboring  elders  and 
churches,  by  free  consultation  and  conference 
with  them,  to  such  a  temper,  at  least,  as  may 
conform  to  the  Heads  of  Agreement  above  men- 
tioned ;  —  that  so  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  may 
be  given  to  your  pastor  by  other  pastors,  and 
to  your  church  by  other  churches,  and  that  you 
may  not  be  the  beginning  of  a  schism  that  will 
dishonor  God,  grieve  the  good  people,  and  be 
a  matter  of  triumph  to  the  bad.  So  we  pray 
you  take  in  good  part  what  we  have  pre  sented 
and  freely  offered  to  you  as  the  best  advice  that 
is  with  us.  We  assure  you  we  have  not  done 
this  out  of  any  design  or  desire  to  grieve  you, 
but  out  of  a  design  and  desire  to  benefit  you,  and 
to  keep  our  consciences  void  of  offence  toward 
God  and  toward  man  ;  and  we  beseech  you,  out 
of  regard  to  the  name  of  God  and  the  purity  of 
his  worship,  and  the  peace  of  his  churches,  and 
your  own  souls,  that  you  lay  to  heart  what  hath 
been  offered  to  your  consideration  by  ourselves, 
or  may  have  been  offered  by  any  of  our  breth- 
ren in  the  ministry,  especially  your  neighboring 
elders,  that,  being  on  the  spot,  may  be  capable 
of  giving  you  better  advice  than  we  can  ;  and  may 
personally  confer  with  you  about  these  things, 
which  we  cannot.  We  have  nothing  further  to 
add  at  present,  but  shall  not  cease  to  pray  that 


38  THE    HISTORY    OF 

the  Wonderful  Counsellor  would  direct  you  in 
these  things  to  do  what  is  well  pleasing  in  his 
sight.  So  wTe  remain  your  friends  and  servants  in 
what  we  may,  according  to  the  Gospel, 

u  John  Higginson, 
Nicholas  Noyes. 
"  Salem,  December  30th,  1699." 

Dr.  Palfrey,  in  alluding  to  the  letter  in  his 
notes,  speaks  of  it  as  "  severe,  without  being 
unkind  or  disrespectful."  This  will  be  admitted 
to  be  a  correct  criticism,  though  one  cannot  but 
remark,  as  an  evidence  of  the  change  of  manners 
and  relations,  that  if  any  body  of  men,  "  under- 
taking," at  the  present  day,  in  any  of  our  towns 
or  villages,  to  form  a  new  religious  society,  were 
to  receive  such  a  letter  from  the  clergymen  in 
their  neighborhood,  it  would  be  regarded  as  a 
most  improper,  not  to  say  impertinent,  interfer- 
ence. The  rebuke  of  the  "  undertakers"  for 
their  use  of  the  word  "  Manifesto  "  would  seem 
to  be  rather  hypercritical.  Then,  as  now,  this 
was  a  commercial  rather  than  a  "  royal"  word, 
and  innumerable  quotations  might  be  made  to 
show  that  there  was  no  assumption  in  the  use 
of  it.  The  charge  of  a  want  of  humility  also 
comes  with  a  bad  grace  from  individual  clergy- 
men, who  had  voluntarily  assumed  the  task  of 
rebuking  a  large  and    respectable  body  of  men, 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  39 

who  were  earnestly,  but  as  far  as  possible  peace- 
ably, engaged  in  establishing  a  religious  society  for 
the  worship  of  God  according  to  the  dictates  of 
their  consciences.  So  far  as  we  feel  any  interest 
in  the  characters  of  the  founders  of  this  church, 
we  may  safely  leave  this  charge  of  a  want  of 
humility  to  be  determined  by  the  question, 
Which  indicates  the  greatest  absence  of  this 
crowning  Christian  grace,  the  Manifesto  or  the 
Salem  letter  ?  I  candidly  admit  that,  as  mem- 
bers of  this  society,  bound  to  it  many  of  us  by 
tender  associations  and  strong  ties  of  sympathy, 
we  are  not  the  most  fair  and  unprejudiced  judges 
of  this  or  any  other  point  affecting  its  reputation  ; 
but  I  apprehend  that  any  one,  looking  back  at  this 
distance  of  time  to  the  Manifesto  and  the  publi- 
cations it  called  forth,  will  admit,  whatever  be  his 
opinion  as  to  the  strength  of  the  argument,  that 
the  best  exhibition  of  a  Christian  spirit  and  temper 
lies  with  those  who  put  forth  the  Manifesto  or 
wrote  in  its  defence.* 

*  The  following  remarks  and  "  doggerel  verses"  were  fur- 
nished me  by  Isaac  P.  Davis,  Esq.,  from  a  private  journal  kept 
at  the  time  by  Josiah  Cotton  in  Marblehead.  The  wit  is 
poor,  and  the  poetry  is  poorer  than  the  wit ;  but  almost  any 
similar  scrap  of  manuscript,  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  old,  is 
so  far  an  illustration  of  the  times,  as  to  be  worth  preserving. 

"  During  my  abode  at  Marblehead,  there  happened  an 
unhappy  difference,  between  some  of  the  Ministers  and  Peo- 
ple in  Boston  upon  the  building  Mr.  Colman's  Meeting  House, 
which  was  for  a  while   (in  contempt)   called  the  Manifesto 


40  THE    HISTORY    OF 

While  the  general  controversy,  of  which  I 
have  given  this  brief  account,  was  excited  by 
the    Manifesto,    its    immediate    effect    upon    the 

Church,  because  they  put  forth  an  account  of  their  designed 
variations  from  some  things  practised  in  the  New  England 
Churches,  which  they  themselves  call  a  Manifesto.  And 
afterwards  there  came  forth  a  Book  entitled,  Gospel  Order 
Revived,  written  by  several  Ministers  of  the  Gospel,  supposed 
to  be  Mr.  Woodbridge,  Mr.  Bradstreet,  and  Mr.  Colman. 
Upon  which  there  were  some  very  harsh  passages,  and  several 
cantering  Rhythms  came  forth.  Some  of  which,  for  their  odd- 
ness  and  archness,  I  shall  insert.  One  parcel  of  verses  upon 
the  aforesaid  Book,  the  author  calls  'A  Simple  Poem  upon  the 
Authors  and  their  Design,'  and  runs  thus. 

Begging  Manifesto,  proves  but  a  great  Peslo 

Blackman1  is  Synodalian. 
Pray  stay  there  and  stop,  lest  next  hop  and  hop 

Ben't  Peter's  Chair  Italian. 
The  old  Strait  Gate  is  now  out  of  date, 

The  street  it  must  be  Broad2 
And  the  Bridge*  must  be  Wood,  tho'  not  half  so  good 

As  firm  stone  in  the  road. 
Relations  are  Rattles  with  Brattle  and  Brattle, 

Lord  Bro'r  mayn't  command, 
But  Mather  and  Mather  had  rather  had  rather 

The  good  old  way  should  stand. 
Saints  Cotton  and  Hooker,  Oh  look  down  and  look  here 

Where  's  Platform,  Way  and  the  Keys? 
Oh  Torrey  with  Story  of  Brattle  Church  Tatele 

To  have  things  as  they  please. 
Our  Merchants  cum  Mico  do  stand  sacro  vico 

Our  Churches  turn  genteel 
Our  Parsons  grow  trim  and  trig  with  Wealth,  Wine  and  Wig 

And  their  heads  are  covered  with  meal. 

1  Colman.  2  Bradstreet.  3  Woodbridge. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  41 

ministers  and  societies  in  the  town  seems  to 
have  been  favorable.  Hitherto  on  the  part  of 
these  societies  no  sympathy  or  interest  had  been 

"  Upon  which  there  came  out  the  following  answer:  — 

And  now  my  friend  Thomas,  according  to  promise 

Im'e  come  and  hope  shall  be  welcome, 
For  I  know  you  use  to  desire  all  the  news, 

And  now  I  think  I  can  tell  some. 
There  's  lately  come  in  here,  a  whip  for  the  sinner 

That  doth  leave  the  old  way,  or  despise  it ; 
The  Author,  if  you  know  him,  says,  'tis  a  simple  Poem, 

And  in  good  truth  I  don't  think  he  belies  it. 

Having  heated  his  Noddle,  with  a  dram  of  the  Bottle 

Then  hey  for  the  top  of  Parnassus. 
He  's  so  set  on  rhyming,  bell  ringing  and  chiming 

The  which  for  a  grace  to  his  rhymes  take 
That  saints  Hooker  and  Cotton,  tho'  both  dead  and  rotten, 

Must  out  from  their  graves  for  the  rhymes  sake. 

■  •  •  •  • 

His  designs  to  be  arch  in  't,  appears  in  the  Margent 

On  which  the  kind  Reader  must  look, 
Or  else  he  'd  be  witty,  and  that  would  be  a  pity, 

And  no  body  find  out  the  Joke. 
And  thus  our  Lord  Broth1"  doth  fully  discover 

The  authors  and  all  their  design, 
For  which  I  suppose  the  thanks  of  the  House 

Will  be  sent,  when  they  meet  the  next  time." 

If  they  illustrate  nothing  else,  the  foregoing  lines  will  show 
what  could  get  printed  as  poetry  one  hundred  and  fifty  years 
ago.  The  journalist  adds, —  "  Thus  the  quarrels  about  Relig- 
ion give  occasion  to  scoffing  wits.  And  therefore  a  small 
matter  should  not  set  us  together  by  the  Ears  ;  for  a  victory 
wont  countervail  the  Damage;  and  it  is  well  that  that  con- 
troversy is  since  comfortably  settled." 


42  THE    HISTORY    OF 

expressed  in  the  new  society,  and  none  of  their 
ministers  came  forward  to  welcome  Dr.  Colman 
to  his  field  of  labor,  or  participate  with  him 
in  the  dedication  and  opening  services  at  his 
church.  But  we  find  that,  not  many  weeks  after 
the  publication  of  the  "  Manifesto,"  they  all 
united  at  the  request  of  this  church  in  "  keeping 
a  day  of  prayer."  u  Wednesday,  the  31st  of 
January,"  say  the  Records,  "  was  separated  by 
us  for  public  imploring  the  presence  of  God  with 
us,  his  pardon  and  blessing."  On  this  occasion 
the  ministers  of  the  Congregational  churches  in 
the  town  took  some  part  in  the  services,  Dr. 
Colman  preaching  in  the  morning  and  Dr.  In- 
crease Mather  in  the  afternoon.  Whether  their 
union  in  keeping  this  day  of  prayer  was  the  effect 
of  the  Manifesto,  or  the  result  of  the  better  feel- 
ings of  the  ministers,  and  their  conviction  that 
the  success  of  the  enterprise  could  no  longer  be 
prevented  by  any  coldness  or  opposition  on  their 
part,  or  whether  it  was  brought  about  by  the  in- 
terposition of  friends,  cannot  be  clearly  deter- 
mined. Probably  each  of  these  causes  had  its 
influence,  though  the  result  is  chiefly  to  be  at- 
tributed, I  apprehend,  to  the  mediation  of  friends  ; 
—  since  it  is  clearly  shown  by  a  letter,  in  the 
manuscript  volume  of  "  Colman  Papers,"  to 
which  reference  has  been  made,  (which  letter 
ought  also  to  be  on  the  files  of  our  church,)  that 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  43 

the  invitation  to  unite  in  a  day  of  prayer  was  at 
first  refused,  unless  this  church  would  with- 
draw its  Manifesto,  and  adopt  the  Platform  of  the 
United  Brethren  of  London  ;  —  and  in  a  passage 
in  the  records,  immediately  preceding  the  account 
of  the  day  of  "  public  prayer,"  Dr.  Colman  says, 
u  I  omit  on  purpose  the  differences  and  troubles 
we  had  with  our  neighbors  about  our  providings, 
only  am  obliged  to  leave  this  acknowledgment  of 
our  great  obligation  to  the  Hon.  William  Stough- 
ton,  Esq.,  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  Province, 
the  Rev.  William  Brattle  of  Cambridge,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Clarke  of  Chelmsford,  and  Mr.  Danforth  of 
Dorchester,  for  their  good  and  kind  endeavors  for 
our  peaceable  settlement." 

Some  time  elapsed,  however,  before  Dr.  Col- 
man was  on  terms  of  intimate  communion  and 
fellowship  with  the  other  churches  of  the  town, 
and  for  several  years  the  church  was  designated, 
in  scorn  and  derision,  by  a  title  of  which  neither 
then  nor  now  has  it  any  cause  to  be  ashamed,  — 
"  the  Manifesto  Church." 

In  giving  this  account  of  the  u  Manifesto  "  and 
its  results,  I  have  anticipated  some  things  in  rela- 
tion to  the  call  of  Rev.  Benjamin  Colman  to 
become  the  pastor  of  the  society.  The  germ  of 
the  society,  as  has  been  intimated,  was  formed 
as  early  as  January,  1698,  at  which  time  Thomas 
Clarke  and  his  associates  became  possessed  of  a 
piece  of  land  with  a  view  to  erect  thereupon  a 


44  THE    HISTORY    OF 

house  of  worship.  At  what  time  this  work  was 
commenced  cannot  be  ascertained,  but  early  in 
the  summer  of  1699,  in  prospect  of  the  comple- 
tion of  the  house  in  the  autumn,  those  interested 
in  the  enterprise,  who  had  hitherto,  as  seems 
probable,  worshipped  at  the  churches  to  which 
they  severally  belonged,  made  arrangements  for 
the  establishment  of  a  permanent  ministry,  by 
inviting  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Colman,  then  in  Eng- 
land, to  become  their  pastor.  Mr.  Colman  was 
a  native  of  this  town.  His  parents  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Second  Church,  and  he  himself  had 
there  made  his  early  Christian  vows.  Of  himself 
and  his  call  to  be  the  pastor  of  this  church,  he 
gives  the  following  account  in  the  opening  para- 
graph of  our  records  :  —  "I  had  been  absent  from 
this  my  native  country  upwards  of  four  years, 
employed  as  a  candidate  for  the  evangelical  min- 
istry, to  which  my  parents  and  my  own  choice 
devoted  me  ;  occasionally  preaching  in  the  city 
of  London,  the  University  of  Cambridge,  and 
the  town  of  Ipswich,  in  England,  for  about  the 
space  of  two  years,  and  then  more  statedly  had 
been  appointed  by  the  Presbyterian  board  at 
London,  to  be  the  minister  of  the  Dissenting  Con- 
gregation in  the  city  of  Bath,  Somersetshire  ; 
when,  on  the  19th  day  of  July,  1699,  I  received 
an  invitation  *    from    the    gentlemen,   the   under- 

*  No  copy  of  this  letter  of  invitation  is  to  be  found  in  the 
records  or  on  the  files  of  this  church.     Hearing  that  a  copy  of 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  45 

takers  of  this  church,  subscribed  by  Mr.  Thomas 
Braitle,  Captain  Benjamin  Davis,  Mr.  John 
Mico,  Mr.  Thomas  Cooper,  and  Mr.  John 
Colman,  in  the  name  of  the  rest,  to  come  over 
to  be  their  minister,  only  proposing  to  me,  that 

it  was  in  the  possession  of  the  Rev.  Alexander  McClure  of 
Maiden,  I  applied  and  readily  obtained  from  him  permission 
to  use  it  in  this  publication.     It  is  as  follows  :  — 

"  Boston,  May  10,  1G99. 
"Mr.  Benjamin  Colman:  — 

"Much  respected  Sir,  —  Before  writing  the  following  votes, 
which  will  satisfy  you  both  of  the  nature  and  design  of  them, 
and  how  we  came  to  be  concerned  therein,  we  judge  it  may 
not  be  amiss  to  give  you  an  account  of  the  first  rise  and 
progress  of  our  undertaking,  until  we  came  unto  this  result. 
These  few  lines  may  therefore  acquaint  you,  that  about 
twenty  of  us,  considering  the  great  need  there  was  of  another 
meeting-house  in  the  town,  did,  in  October  last,  undertake, 
with  God's  help,  to  build  one  in  Brattle  Close,  so  called,  near 
the  town  dock,  where  most  of  us  lived.  We  imparted  our 
design  first  to  the  Lieutenant-Governor  and  ministers,  and 
then  petitioned  both  the  townsmen  and  justices,  and  the 
Lieutenant-Governor  and  Council,  for  leave  to  build  with 
timber,  which  they  readily  granted  us.  At  the  first  meeting 
it  was  resolved  the  relations  should  be  laid  aside,  and  the 
Holy  Scriptures  publicly  read  in  the  church,  and  on  the  29th 
of  October,  Mr.  John  Colman,  understanding  we  had  thought 
of  yourself  for  our  minister,  did  join  with  us,  on  condition 
we  gave  you  a  call  thereunto.  Soon  after  this  we  agreed 
for  the  building  of  said  meeting-house,  which  is  to  be  raised 
by  the  first  of  August,  and  finished  by  the  first  of  October 
next.  The  last  month  the  timber  was  brought  to  town  and 
begun  to  be  framed  ;  and  now,  thinking  it  high  time  to  con- 
clude on  a  minister,  on  the  2d  instant  there  was  a  general 
meeting  of  the  undertakers,  where,  after  we  had  every  one 


46  THE    HISTORY    OF 

the  Holy  Scriptures  might  be  publicly  read  every 
Sabbath  in  the  worship  of  God,  and  that  they  might 
lay  aside  the  relation  of  experiences,  which  were 
imposed  in  the  other  churches  in  the  town,  in  order 
to  the  admission  of  persons  to  the  Lord's  Table. 

of  us  subscribed  a  paper,  wherein  it  is  declared  we  have  no 
design  to  depart  from  the  doctrine  and  order  of  the  Gospel,  or 
from  the  practice  of  the  churches  of  Christ  in  New  England, 
only  leaving  the  matter  of  relations  indifferent,  as  we,  with 
several  churches  in  New  England,  do  apprehend  them  to  be, 
it  was,  after  mature  deliberation,  unanimously  voted,  —  1. 
That  Mr.  Benjamin  Colman  be  addressed  with  an  invitation 
to  come  over  hither  in  order  to  be  the  minister  of  the  church 
which  we  are  now  erecting;  and  2.  That  in  case  Mr.  Benjamin 
Colman,  complying  with  our  principles  which  shall  be  sent 
him,  shall  come  over  upon  the  invitation,  and  we  shall  not 
agree  to  settle  him  among  us,  we  will  then  satisfy  him  for  all 
the  loss  and  damage  he  shall  sustain  by  his  answering  our 
invitation  to  his  full  content.  3.  That  Mr.  John  Mico,  Mr. 
John  Colman,  Mr.  Benjamin  Davis,  Mr.  Thomas  Cooper,  and 
Mr.  T.  Brattle  do  write  to  Mr.  Benjamin  Colman  by  the  first 
opportunity,  in  behalf  of  the  undertakers  ;  and  4.  That  Mr. 
Benjamin  Colman  be  desired  to  use  his  utmost  endeavors  to 
be  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  by  some  Non-conformist 
ministers  in  England.  Accordingly,  Sir,  we  do  hereby  sig- 
nify to  you  the  desire  of  the  undertakers,  and  in  their  name 
we  do  heartily  invite  you  hither  to  be  the  minister  of  our 
church,  promising  and  obligating  ourselves,  in  case  of  your 
compliance  with  our  call,  if  we  do  not  settle  you  among  us, 
which  there  is  no  doubt  upon,  that  we  will  satisfy  you  for 
all  the  damage  you  shall  receive  thereby.  We  are  all  of  us 
very  desirous  that  you  be  ordained  before  you  come  over  by 
some  Non-conformist  ministers  in  England,  the  more  eminent 
they  are,  the  better  it  may  be.  The  great  character  which 
every  one  gives  of  your  good  temper,  principles,  and  abilities 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  47 

u  The  invitation  was  accepted  by  me  ;  and  the 
more  acceptable  it  was  by  reason  of  the  kind  and 
encouraging  letters  which  accompanied  it  from 
mv  excellent  friends,  the  Hon.  Mr.  John  Lev- 
erett,  the  Rev.  William  Brattle,  Ebenezer  Pem- 
berton,  Simon  Bradstreet,  and  others.* 

doth  abundantly  satisfy  us  in  our  choice,  and  make  us  the 
more  earnestly  to  address  you  with  this  invitation,  which  we 
pray  you  will  favor  us  with  your  acceptance  of,  and  coming  to 
us  so  soon  as  ever  your  affairs  will  permit.  You  may  be  assured 
of  all  due  respect  and  encouragement  from  us  becoming  your 
place  and  merit  ;  for  although  our  votes  may  seem  too  short 
in  some  particulars,  we  intend  nothing  but  what  is  not  only 
just  but  honorable.  God,  who  has  inclined  our  hearts  to  so 
great  an  undertaking,  and  to  make  choice  of  yourself  for  our 
minister,  and  has  therein  graciously  smiled  on  us  hitherto, 
seems  in  his  providence  to  have  designed  you  for  his  service 
among  us,  and  will,  as  we  trust  in  his  goodness,  by  inclining 
your  heart  to  accept  of  this  our  invitation,  perfect  what  he  has 
thus  far  so  wonderfully  brought  about,  to  his  glory  and  our 
mutual  happiness  and  comfort.  In  the  hopes  and  persuasion 
thereof  we  shall  add  no  more,  but  our  prayers  that  God  Al- 
mighty will  bless  you  and  make  your  way  to  us  prosperous 
in  his  good  time.  We  salute  you  in  behalf  of  the  undertak- 
ers, and  subscribe  ourselves,  Sir,  your  assured  friends  and 

servants, 

"T.  Brattle, 

Benjamin  Davis, 

John  Mico, 

Thomas  Cooper, 

John  Colman." 

*  The  following  extracts  from  some  of  these  letters  will 
show  the  high  estimation  in  which  Mr.  Colman  was  held,  and 
the  strong  desire  felt  by  some  of  the  most  eminent  men  of 
that  day  that  he  should  accept  the  invitation  of  the  "  Under- 


48  THE    HISTORY    OF 

l<  Being  arrived  at  London,  August  1st,  1699, 
I  asked  ordination  of  the  Presbytery  there,  and 
on   the   fourth  day  of  said  month  the   solemnity 

takers"  of  Brattle  Street  Church.  Rev.  Ebenezer  Pember- 
ton  writes :  — 

"  With  this  you  will  receive  a  kind  invitation  to  return  to 
your  own  country,  which  you  cannot  but  have  a  great  tender- 
ness for,  and  your  affection  I  trust  will  constrain  you  to  com- 
ply, and  hope  it  will  not  be  to  your  disadvantage.  The  gentle- 
men who  solicit  your  return  are  mostly  known  to  you,  — 
men  of  repute  and  figure,  from  whom  you  may  expect  gen- 
erous treatment;  and  among  them  I  doubt  not  but  you  may 
be  peculiarly  serviceable  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which  is 
the  height  of  your  ambition.  I  believe  your  return  will  be 
pleasing  to  all  friends  of  religion.  I  am  sure  it  will  be  inex- 
pressibly so  to  your  unfeigned  friend  and  servant." 

Rev.  William  Brattle  writes  :  — 

"  This  waits  upon  you  with  my  desires  and  hopes  that 
your  circumstances  will  allow  you  to  entertain  and  accept 
the  invitation.  The  good  respect  the  Boston  ministers  have 
for  you  (as  well  as  others)  should,  methinks,  encourage  your 
embracing  the  motion  now  made  to  you.  As  for  my  own  part' 
I  shall  account  it  a  smile  from  Heaven  upon  the  good  design 
of  these  gentlemen,  if  you  can  send  them  answer  of  peace, 
and  would  hope  that  your  so  doing  will  result  to  your  mutual 
rejoicing.  May  God  direct  you  in  the  matter.  Your  real 
friend  and  servant." 

President  Leverett  writes  thus  at  the  close  of  his  letter  :  — 

"  I  shall  exceedingly  rejoice  at  your  return  unto  your  coun- 
try. We  want  persons  of  your  character.  The  affair  offered 
to  your  consideration  is  of  the  greatest  moment.  I  pray  Al- 
mighty God  to  be  your  director  in  it.  Your  return  is  heartily 
desired  by  all  that  I  have  heard  speak  of  it,  but  it  cannot  be 
more  agreeable  to  any  body  than  it  is  to,  Sir,  your  sincere 
friend  and  humble  servant." 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  49 

was  attended,  after  a  public  lecture,  at  the  meet- 
ing-house of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Christopher  Taylor, 
to  whom  I  succeeded  in  Bath.  I  was  ordained 
by  prayer  with  the  imposition  of  the  hands  of 
the  Rev.  Richard  Stratton,  John  Spademan, 
Robert  Fleming,  and  Christopher  Taylor.  Mr. 
Stratton  prayed,  Mr.  Spademan  made  the  exhor- 
tation. From  many  other  reverend  ministers  I 
received  testimonials  of  my  good  conversation 
while  in  England 

"  On  Wednesday,  the  1st  of  November,  1699, 
I  arrived  at  Boston,  through  the  favor  of  God. 
The  next  day  the  undertakers  invited  me  to  a 
full  meeting  at  my  brother's  house.  A  (exv  days 
after,  Mr.  Brattle  presented  me  with  fifty  pounds 
in  money  in  the  name  of  the  undertakers.  Soon 
after,  we  kept  a  day  of  thanksgiving  in  private  to 
Almighty  God  for  the  many  smiles  of  his  provi- 
dence on  our  undertaking  unto  that  day.  I 
preached  from  1  Chron.  xxix.  13,  14,  *  Now, 
therefore,  our  God,  we  thank  thee  and  praise  thy 
glorious  name.  But  who  am  I,  and  what  is  my 
people,  that  we  should  be  able  to  offer  so  will- 
ingly after  this  sort  ?  For  all  things  come  of  thee, 
and  of  thine  own  have  we  given  thee.'  " 

This,  then,  was  the  first  religious  service  of 
this  society,  this  the  first  sermon  preached  before 
it.  Mr.  Colman,  having  been  ordained  for  this 
work   in  London,  was  now  the  minister  of  the 

4 


50  THE    HISTORY    OF 

I 

society  in  Brattle  Square,  which  three  weeks  sub- 
sequently occupied  its  pleasant  new-built  church, 
and  became  one  of  the  established,  and  soon  one 
of  the  most  flourishing,  societies  of  the  town. 

I  have  thus  presented  to  my  hearers  a  full  view 
of  the  circumstances  under  which  this  church 
originated,  and  the  principles  upon  which  it  was 
founded.  We  perceive  that,  as  regards  theo- 
logical doctrine,  no  departure  was  made  by  this 
church  from  the  system  of  religious  belief  then 
commonly  received.  The  society  adopted  at 
the  beginning  the  confession  of  faith  put  forth  by 
the  Assembly  of  Divines  at  Westminster,  which, 
with  the  Catechism  prepared  by  the  Assembly, 
wras  then  universally,  as  it  is  now  by  a  large  major- 
ity of  the  Congregational  churches  of  New  Eng- 
land, regarded  as  the  embodiment  and  concentra- 
tion of  the  great  doctrines  of  the  Bible.  The 
points  in  respect  to  which  this  church  departed 
from  others  related  entirely  to  order  and  worship, 
and  of  these  but  four  wTere  of  any  great  mo- 
ment ; —  1st.  The  reading  of  some  portion  of 
Holy  Scripture  in  public  worship  at  the  discre- 
tion of  the  minister  ;  2d.  The  administration  of 
baptism  to  the  children  of  any  parents  who  would 
make  a  genuine  profession  of  their  Christian  faith 
and  their  desire  and  purpose  to  educate  their  chil- 
dren therein  ;  3d.  The  relinquishment  of  the  re- 
lation of  experiences  ;  and  4th.  The  permission  of 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  51 

all  the  members  of  the  congregation,  without  dis- 
tinction of  communicants  and  non-communicants, 
to  act   and  vote  in   parish  affairs.     I  have  also 
received  it  by  tradition  from  my  predecessor,  that 
the  minister  of  this  church  was  expected  or  re- 
quired to  repeat  the  Lord's  Prayer  once  in  some 
part  of  the  service  every  Sunday.      And  accord- 
ingly I  have  always  observed   this  rule,  though  I 
have  not  found  any  authority  for  it  but  tradition, 
which,  as  it  came  to  me  so,  I  suppose  has  been 
handed  down  from  pastor  to  pastor.      The  forms 
of  religious  worship  are   in  one  aspect  of  no  im- 
portance.     They  are  but  the  drapery  of  religion, 
and  if  the  drapery  be  decent  and  proper,  it  mat- 
ters not  what  may  be   its   texture   and    pattern. 
God  cares  not  in  what   language  the  prayer  be 
offered,    nor   what    posture    the   body    assumes. 
He  lookcth  to  the  heart,  and  if  there  be  sincerity, 
devotion,  an  earnest  and   quickened  spirit  there, 
they  make  the  form,  whatever  it  may  be,  accep- 
table  in  his   sight.     But  in   another    aspect,  the 
forms  adopted  or  established  for  the  administra- 
tion of  religion  are  important,  in  so  far  as  they 
may    affect   or   involve    the    rights   of  individual 
Christians.      This  was  the  case  with  some  of  the 
forms  objected  to  and  laid  aside  by  the  founders  of 
this  society  ;    as,  for  example,  the  requisition  of 
the  relation  of  experiences  before  admission  to  the 
church,  the  refusal  of  baptism  to  children  whose 


52  THE    HISTORY    OF 

parents  were  not  communicants,  and  the  exclusion 
of  non-communicants  from  vote  or  voice  in  the  di- 
rection of  parish  affairs,  except  as  they  might  act 
in  confirmation  of  what  the  church  had  done.  In 
these  cases  important  personal  Christian  rights  and 
privileges  were  involved  in  matters  of  form  and  or- 
der, and  we  have  reason  to  honor  our  fathers,  that 
they  stood  firm  "  for  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ 
hath  made  men  free,"  and  established  here  a 
church,  liberal,  yet  conservative,  uniting  freedom 
and  order,  a  wide  privilege  of  the  individual  with 
the  rights  and  progress  of  the  whole  body.  It  is 
not  surprising  that  a  church  founded  upon  these 
principles  should  soon  become  large  and  flourish- 
ing, or  that  it  should  have  enjoyed,  as  we  shall 
find  in  tracing  its  history,  a  large  measure  of  peace 
and  prosperity. 

Having  thus  noticed  the  progress  of  the  society, 
from  the  earliest  movements  in  its  behalf  to  its 
regular  establishment  in  its  new  house  under  its 
first  minister,  I  shall  here  leave  the  subject  for 
the  present.  Let  me  remind  you,  in  conclusion, 
that,  as  we  are  completing  the  third  half-century 
of  our  existence  as  a  society,  so  we  are  complet- 
ing another  year  of  our  lives  as  individuals.  We 
have  been  reviewing  the  long  gone  past  as  con- 
nected with  the  deeds  of  our  fathers  ;  let  us  also 
review  it,  each  for  himself,  as  it  presents  the 
events,  the  deeds  and  doings,  the  negligence  and 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  53 

the  performance,  the  omission  and  commission,  of 
the  past  year.  Mingled  emotions  necessarily  rise 
up  in  our  minds,  as  we  approach  any  of  these  an- 
niversary epochs  that  mark  the  progress  of  time 
and  the  flight  of  years  ;  and  now,  as  we  lookback 
upon  this,  which  is  so  fast  drawing  towards  its 
close,  we  find  much,  very  much,  for  which  to 
thank  God,  and  much  also  for  which  to  reproach 
ourselves.  Another  year  of  privilege  and  oppor- 
tunity, another  year  of  discipline  and  probation,  is 
soon  to  close  up  its  record  to  eternity.  What 
one  of  us  does  not  wish  that  some  passages  in 
that  record  could  be  blotted  out  ?  What  one  of 
us  does  not  feel  the  truth  of  the  prophet's  declara- 
tion, "  Then  shalt  thou  think  of  thy  ways  and  be 
ashamed."  May  the  experience  of  the  past  so 
make  us  wise  and  faithful  for  the  future,  that  the 
close  of  the  next  year  may  find  us,  if  on  earth, 
better  and  holier,  and  if  called  from  earth,  holy 
and  happy  in  heaven. 


December  30th,  1849. 


SERMON    II. 


THE    RIGHTEOUS    SHALL     BE     IN     EVERLASTING    REMEM- 
BRANCE. —  Ps.  cxii.  6. 

In  our  religious  services  a  few  weeks  ago,  I 
alluded  to  the  completion  of  the  third  half-cen- 
tury of  our  existence  as  a  church  and  society.  I 
gave  a  brief  outline  of  the  changes  in  opinion  and 
usage  which  had  occurred  in  the  American 
churches  during  the  seventy  years  previous,  as 
illustrating  the  feelings  and  circumstances  under 
which  this  church  originated.  I  presented  the 
important  principles  in  regard  to  ecclesiastical  or- 
ganization and  the  administration  of  the  Christian 
religion,  which  this  society  aimed  to  establish,  as 
put  forth  in  its  Manifesto  of  November  19th,  1699, 
and  briefly  recited  the  incidents  connected  with 
the  call  of  Mr.  Benjamin  Colman  to  become  its 
pastor,  and  his  entrance  upon  his  duties  in  De- 
cember of  that  year. 

The  fourth  date  in  our  records  is  "  Wednes- 
day, January  31,  1700,"  which  day,  it  is  stated, 


HISTORY    OF   BRATTLE    STREET    CHURCH.  55 

u  was  separated  by  us  for  public  imploring  the 
presence  of  God  with  us,  his  pardon  and  blessing, 
and  accordingly  solemnized."  This  was  an  im- 
portant event  in  the  history  of  our  church,  and  I 
make  the  near  approach  of  its  anniversary  an  oc- 
casion for  again  calling  your  attention  to  a  portion 
of  its  history. 

The  Manifesto,  put  forth  by  the  undertakers  in 
November,  1699,  seems  to  have  been  all  that  was 
at  first  adopted  by  the  society  in  the  shape  of 
creed  or  covenant.  At  a  private  meeting  held 
December  12th,  at  Mr.  Mico's  house,  a  church, 
or  body  of  communicants,  was  organized,  but,  as 
appears  from  the  records,  those  entering  into  it, 
fourteen  in  all,  whose  names  are  given,  simply 
declared  "  their  consent  and  agreement  to  walk 
together  in  all  the  ordinances  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  At  this  meeting,  it  was  voted,  u  that 
Mr.  Colman  present  the  desires  of  the  society  to 
the  ministers  of  the  town  to  keep  a  day  of  prayer 
with  us."  This  request  was  at  first  peremptorily 
refused  by  two  of  the  ministers  acting  apparent- 
ly in  behalf  of  the  rest.  Their  letter,  preserved 
in  the  manuscript  volume  of  Colman  Papers,  be- 
longing to  the  Historical  Society,  bears  date  De- 
cember 28th,  1699,  and  is  as  follows. 

"  Mr.  Colman  :  — 

"  Whereas  you  have  signified  to  us  that  your 


56  THE    HISTORY    OF 

Society  have  desired  us  to  join  with  them  in  a 
public  fast,  in  order  to  your  intended  communion, 
our  answer  is,  that  as  we  have  formerly  once 
and  again  insinuated  unto  you,  that  if  you  would 
in  due  manner  lay  aside  what  you  call  your  Mani- 
festo, and  resolve  and  declare  that  you  will  keep 
to  the  Heads  of  Agreement  on  which  the  United 
Brethren  in  London  have  made  their  union,  and 
then  publicly  proceed  with  the  presence,  counte- 
nance, and  concurrence  of  the  New  England 
churches,  we  should  be  free  to  give  you  our  fel- 
lowship and  our  best  assistance,  which  things  you 
have  altogether  declined  and  neglected  to  do  ; 
thus  we  must  now  answer,  that,  if  you  will  give  us 
the  satisfaction  which  the  law  of  Christ  requires 
for  your  disorderly  proceedings,  we  shall  be  hap- 
py to  gratify  your  desires  ;  otherwise,  we  may  not 
do  it,  lest  our  joining  with  you  in  such  an  action 
be  interpreted  as  an  approbation  of  those  miscar- 
riages, which  both  before  and  since  the  publica- 
tion of  the  said  Manifesto,  it  seems  to  us,  you 
have  fallen  into,  and  lest  we  become  partakers  of 
the  guilt  of  those  irregularities  by  which  you  have 
given  just  cause  of  offence,  both  to  us  and  to  all 
the  churches  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  throughout 
New  England. 

"  Increase  Mather, 
James  Allen." 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  57 

This  note  is  curious,  as  indicating  the  state  of 
feeling  and  manners  towards  the  new  clergyman. 
The  common  courtesies  of  correspondence  are 
all  disregarded.  Here  is  no  address  of  "  Sir," 
or  cc  Dear  Sir,"  or  "  Rev.  Sir."  They  do  not 
even  recognize  him  as  invested  with  the  clerical 
office.  The  address  is  short  and  direct,  "  Mr. 
Colman,"  and  it  is  signed,  without  any  expressions 
of  interest,  sympathy,  respect,  or  kind  feeling, 
"  Increase  Mather,  James  Allen."  This  crusty 
letter,  in  the  handwriting  of  Increase  Mather, 
was  doubtless  written  by  him,  and  breathes  his 
spirit.  What  answer  Mr.  Colman  returned  to  it, 
or  whether  he  returned  any  answer  in  writing,  can- 
not now  be  ascertained.  If  there  was  any  further 
correspondence  upon  the  subject,  it  would  be 
deeply  interesting,  as  throwing  light  upon  this 
early  period  of  our  history  ;  yet,  if  it  was  all  con- 
ducted in  the  spirit  of  the  letter  just  given,  it  is 
not  to  be  regretted  that  the  correspondence  can- 
not now  be  found.  I  was  wrong,  perhaps,  in 
describing  the  letter  as  a  peremptory  refusal.  It 
alludes  to  a  previous  peremptory  refusal,  unless 
the  Manifesto  was  withdrawn,  and  the  principles 
of  union  of  the  London  churches  adopted,  but 
it  does  not  now  insist  upon  this.  That  demand  is 
abated.  u  If  you  will  give  us  the  satisfaction 
which  the  law  of  Christ  requires  for  your  disor- 
derly proceedings,  we  will  gratify  your  desires." 


58  THE    HISTORY    OF 

What  satisfaction  was  given,  what  explanations 
were  made,  cannot  now  be  ascertained.  These 
explanations,  however,  aided  by  the  influence 
which  Mr.  Cohnan's  eminent  talents  and  strong 
character  began  to  exert  from  the  moment  of  his  ar- 
rival in  the  country,  were  sufficient,  and  five  weeks 
after  the  date  of  this  extraordinary  note,  these 
very  men,  Increase  Mather  and  James  Allen,  to- 
gether with  Wadsworth,  Cotton  Mather,  and 
Samuel  Willard,  all  the  ministers  of  the  three 
Congregational  churches  of  the  town,  did  unite 
with  this  church  in  keeping  a  day  of  public 
prayer. 

Our  own  records  are  silent  in  regard  to  the 
particulars  of  this  occasion.  From  the  Diary  of 
Chief  Justice  Sewall,  we  learn  that  it  "was  a 
close,  dark  day."  At  the  opening  of  the  service 
in  the  morning,  Mr.  Colman  read  a  paper,  or 
writing,  that  had  been  agreed  upon  and  signed  by 
all  the  ministers.  It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  no 
copy  of  this  paper  is  upon  our  records  or  files, 
or  can  now  be  found  anywhere.  We  learn  from 
the  authority  I  have  just  quoted,  Judge  Sewall's 
Diary,  that  it  was  drawn  up,  out  of  two  which  had 
been  rejected,  by  Rev.  Wm.  Brattle,  at  a  meet- 
ing of  the  ministers  held  at  Mr.  Willard's,  Janu- 
ary 24th,  at  which  himself  and  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor  were  present.  At  this  meeting,  says 
the  Diary,    "  Mr.    Colman  got   his  brethren  to 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  59 

subscribe  it."  It  was  read  to  tbe  audience  as 
explaining  tbe  basis  or  grounds  on  which  the  min- 
isters united  in  the  services  of  that  day,  and  were 
to  govern  their  future  intercourse.  The  morning 
services  were  conducted  chiefly  by  Mr.  Colman  ; 
the  afternoon  services  entirely  by  the  other  minis- 
ters. Dr.  Increase  Mather  preached,  and  in  his 
sermon  took  care  to  make  a  qualification  or  ex- 
planation of  his  text,  and  inculcate  from  it  a  doc- 
trine which  left  him  ample  liberty  to  make  any 
attack  upon  the  new  church  which  he  might 
subsequently  feel  inclined  to  direct  against  it. 
His  text  was,  "  Follow  peace  with  all  men  and 
holiness."  The  doctrine  enforced  was,  we  must 
follow  peace  so  far  as  it  consists  with  holiness.* 
Although  there  was,  thus  early,  this  public 
recognition  of  our  church,  and  this  public  expres- 
sion of  sympathy  and  fellowship  on  the  part  of 
the  ministers,  yet  it  was  but  a  lull  in  the  storm  of 
opposition  to  the  Manifesto  Church,  which  con- 
tinued to  rage  for  some  time.  Several  years 
passed  before  Mr.  Colman  was  on  terms  of  inti- 
mate communion  and  regular  exchanges  with  the 
other  ministers  of  Boston  and  the  neighborhood, 
though  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain  any  reliable 
facts  by  which  to  determine  at  what  precise  period 
the  other  ministers  ceased  to   regard  him  as  an 

*  J\ew  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register,  Vol. 
III.  p.  121. 


60  THE    HISTORY    OF 

innovator,  and  to  exchange  with  him  as  often  as 
with  each  other.  This  is  of  little  consequence 
now,  and  was  at  the  time  of  little  consequence. 
Mr.  Colman's  talents  and  fidelity,  the  charac- 
ter and  standing  of  most  of  his  congregation, 
and  the  just,  enlarged,  catholic  principles  upon 
which  the  church  was  established,  soon  rendered 
all  opposition  insignificant  and  powerless.  The 
church  flourished,  increasing  rapidly  in  numbers 
and  in  influence.  Satisfactory  evidence  of  this 
is  afforded  by  the  fact,  that  at  the  close  of  the 
first  year  of  Mr.  Colman's  ministry  considerable 
augmentation  of  his  salary  was  voted,  and  before 
the  close  of  the  second  year,  in  June,  1701,  it 
was  thought  desirable  to  furnish  him  with  a  per- 
manent assistant  in  his  work  ;  and  the  young  so- 
ciety had  the  pecuniary  ability  which  enabled  it  to 
do  this,  and  the  religious  zeal  which  prompted  to  it. 
Such  an  assistant  was  found  in  the  person  of  Mr. 
Eliphalet  Adams,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College, 
of  the  class  of  1694.  Mr.  Adams  was  not  or- 
dained as  colleague  pastor,  but  continued  to  serve 
the  society  in  this  capacity  of  assistant  for  two 
years  and  a  half,  called  thereto  by  an  annual 
election  on  the  part  of  the  congregation. 

And  here  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that,  so  far  as 
the  records  show,  the  only  internal  quarrel  or 
contention  of  any  kind  that  has  occurred  in  this 
church,  during  its  century  and  a  half  of  existence, 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  61 

is  connected  with  this  Mr.  Adams.  What  was 
the  nature  or  point  of  this  contention  cannot  now 
be  determined,  as  Dr.  Colman,  in  the  records 
under  date  of  August  2,  1703,  simply  says,  — 
"  At  the  end  of  the  half-year,  Mr.  Adams  left 
preaching  statedly  with  us,  and  I  willingly  omit 
the  mention  of  the  divisions  and  angers  among  us 
upon  his  departure."  Let  us  hope  that  another 
hundred  and  fifty  years  may  pass  without  any 
further  record  of  a  divisions  and  angers."  After 
the  departure  of  Mr.  Adams,  who  was  settled  in 
1709  at  New  London,  no  church-meetings  were 
held  for  several  years,  the  records  describing 
those  which  had  just  been  held  as  very  "  uncom- 
fortable." In  October,  1711,  the  old  meeting- 
house of  the  First  Church,  situated  in  State  Street, 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  u  Our  church,"  writes 
Colman  in  the  records,  u  invited  the  pastors  of 
the  First  Church  to  preach  with  us  in  turns  every 
Sabbath,  and  to  join  in  the  administration  of  or- 
dinances. To  which  they,  with  their  church, 
consented,  and  continued  with  us  till  May  the 
4th,  1713,  when  they  took  their  leave  of  us  with 
a  very  grateful  letter,  read  publicly  by  me  to  our 
congregation,  and  went  into  their  own  house." 

As  an  evidence  that  the  members  of  this  society, 
though  denounced  as  radical  innovators,  retained 
still  no  small  share  of  Puritan  prejudice,  it  may 
be  stated  that  Thomas  Brattle,  who  died  in  1713, 


62  THE    HISTORY    OF 

left  by  his  will  a  legacy  to  the  church,  viz.  as 
stated  in  the  records,  u  A  pair  of  organs,  which 
he  dedicated  and  devoted  to  the  praise  and  glory 
of  God  with  us,  if  we  would  accept  thereof,  and 
within  the  year  after  his  decease,  procure  a  sober 
person,  skilful  to  play  thereon.  The  church, 
with  all  possible  respect  to  the  memory  of  our 
devoted  friend  and  benefactor,  voted,  that  they  did 
not  think  it  proper  to  use  the  same  in  the  public 
worship  of  God." 

After  the  departure  of  Mr.  Adams,  in  1703, 
Mr.  Colman  had  the  sole  charge  of  the  large  and 
flourishing  parish  for  twelve  years.  They  were 
years  of  peace  and  prosperity,  of  growth  in 
things  temporal  and  spiritual.  At  the  expiration 
of  this  period,  the  "  divisions  and  angers,"  what- 
ever they  were,  occasioned  by  the  departure  of 
Mr.  Adams,  having  died  out  and  been  forgotten, 
the  society  determined  to  have  a  colleague  pastor. 
As  the  whole  proceedings  had  on  this  occasion 
were  in  singular  contrast  with  the  manner  in 
which  similar  affairs  are  conducted  at  the  present 
clay,  it  may  be  interesting  to  you  to  hear  Dr. 
Colman's  account  of  it  from  the  records. 

"July  4th,  1715,"  he  writes,  "  was  our  first 
public  meeting  of  the  whole  congregation,  when 
the  following  votes  passed  :  — 

u  1st.  That  they  did  apprehend  and  judge 
it  to  be   for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  6° 


u 


this  church  and  congregation,  that  another  per- 
son be  chosen  to  the  pastoral  office  among  us. 
2d.  That  in  order  thereunto,  the  first  Tuesday 
in  August  be  kept  as  a  day  of  prayer,  to  im- 
plore the  Divine  direction  and  guidance  in  the 
said  election.  Accordingly,  Tuesday,  the  2d  of 
August,  was  observed  by  us  with  prayer  and  fast- 
ing, the  ministers  of  the  town  assisting  at  it.  On 
August  the  16th,  the  congregation  met  for  the  elec- 
tion of  a  second  pastor,  and  after  the  opening  of 
the  meeting  by  prayer,  as  usual,  and  a  discourse 
had  agreeably  to  the  occasion,  the  question  was 
put,  whether  the  brethren  were  ready  to  proceed 
and  write  their  votes  for  the  election  of  some 
other  person  into  the  pastoral  cffice  with  me  ; 
and  if  they  were,  that  they  should  signify  it  by 
lifting  up  their  hands,  whereupon  all  the  hands 
were  lifted  up.  The  brethren  then  wrote  their 
votes,  and  put  them  into  the  box  on  the  table 
before  me,  which  were  counted  and  opened,  and 
out  of  sixty-six  votes  there  were  sixty  for  Mr. 
William  Cooper.  It  is  to  be  noted,  that  no  per- 
son was  nominated,  nor  Mr.  Cooper's  name  once 
mentioned,  either  now  or  in  the  former  meetings, 
until  the  votes  were  counted,  and  I  had  declared 
his  election  by  this  great  majority." 

Mr.  Cooper  accepted  this  invitation,  upon  con- 
dition that  he  should  be  excused  "  from  engaging 
presently  in  a   constant   course   of  preaching,  it 


64  THE    HISTORY    OF 

beins;  a  verv  earlv  day  with  him."  It  was  deter- 
mined,  therefore,  that  he  should  preach  but  once 
a  fortnight,  and  that  his  ordination  should  be  post- 
poned at  least  one  year.  He  was  ordained  on 
the  23d  day  of  May,  1716. 

The  spirit  of  innovation,  or  rather,  I  would 
say,  a  readiness  to  make  such  changes  in  ecclesi- 
astical matters  as  a  wise  judgment  would  approve, 
still  existed  in  our  church,  and  at  the  ordination 
of  Mr.  Cooper,  two  changes  were  made  in  what 
was  then  the  usual  course  of  these  services. 
The  sermon  was  preached  by  Mr.  Colman.  Pre- 
viously, it  had  been  the  usual,  and  I  believe  the 
universal  custom,  in  New  England,  for  the  person 
who  was  to  be  ordained  to  preach  himself.  But, 
says  Colman  in  the  preface  to  his  sermon,  which 
was  printed,  "  This  practice  has,  of  late  years, 
been  much  complained  of  by  our  young  minis- 
ters as  a  great  impropriety  imposed  upon  them. 
In  which  opinion  I  concur,  and  was,  therefore, 
willing  to  relieve  Mr.  Cooper,  and  assign  him  a 
more  proper  part  and  service,  which  he  also 
chose."  This  more  proper  part  and  service, 
which  Mr.  Cooper  performed,  was  to  read  a  pa- 
per, in  which  he  gave  a  general  view  of  the  Chris- 
tian doctrines  and  the  pastoral  office.  This  was 
read  after  the  sermon  and  before  the  consecrating 
prayer.  These  two  customs,  introduced  here,  I 
believe,    for  the   first   time,    became   afterwards 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  65 

common  at  a  New  England  Congregational  ordi- 
nation. One  of  them  is  retained  at  the  present 
day,  and  the  other  has  been  of  late  years  discon- 
tinued.    It  would  not  be  unwise  to  revive  it.* 


*  This  custom  probably  never  became  absolutely  univer- 
sal. I  had  supposed,  that  it  was  only  within  the  present  cen- 
tury, some  thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  that  this  custom,  and  also 
that  of  the  examination  of  the  candidate  by  the  ordaining 
council,  had  been  much  disregarded  or  discontinued.  The 
contrary  would  seem  to  be  the  fact.  Evidence  can  be  found 
that  this  examination  was  often  opposed  in  ordaining  councils, 
and  sometimes  neglected  by  them.  In  a  sermon  entitled, 
"The  Importance  and  Necessity  of  Christians  considering 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  Extent  of  his  high  and  glorious  Character  ; 
a  Sermon  preached  at  the  South  Church  in  Boston.  By 
Samuel  Hopkins,  A.  M.,  Minister  of  the  Gospel  in  Great  Bar- 
rington.  Boston,  N.  E.  Printed  and  sold  by  Kneeland  and 
Adams,  next  to  the  Treasurer's  Office,  in  Milk  Street.  1768," 
I  find  a  note,  from  which  the  following  extracts  are  made :  — 

"I  desire  it  may  be  considered,  whether  the  ordaining 
councils  who  neglect  to  examine  candidates  for  the  ministry, 
with  respect  to  their  religious  sentiments,  and  they  who  zeal- 
ously oppose  such  examinations,  do  not,  by  this  conduct, 
openly  declare,  that  it  is  with  them  no  matter  of  importance 
what  men  believe,  what  their  sentiments  are,  and  what  doc- 
trines  they    hold   with    respect   to   Jesus    Christ ;    or   what 

thoughts  they  have  of  his  character  and  religion The 

conduct  of  these  gentlemen  is  really  surprising,  and  none 
need  be  at  a  loss  what  will  be  the  fate  of  Christianity,  so  far 
as  their  influence  reaches.  All  the  distinguishing,  important 
doctrines  of  it  will  be  neglected;  and  instead  of  preaching 
the  Gospel,  sermons  will  be  either  insipid  dissertations  upon 
something  else,  or  filled  with  stupid  inconsistencies  ;  else  be 
only  flond  [florid  ?]  harangues,  without  any  meaning.  Un- 
less,  perhaps,   when   times  and  circumstances  will    bear  it, 

5 


66  THE    HISTORY    OF 

The  settlement  of  a  new  minister  or  a  colleague 
minister  commonly  gives  an  impulse  to  the  re- 
ligious affairs  of  a  parish,  and  within  a  few  years 
after  Mr.  Cooper's  ordination,  although  at  what 
precise  time  the  records  do  not  show,  it  was  found 
necessary  to  enlarge  the  church,  which  was  done 
by  an  addition  to  the  building  in  the  rear  of  the 
pulpit,  with  pews  on  the  floor  and  a  gallery.  On 
Friday,  the  4th  of  March,  1720,  was  begun  and 
established,  Dr.  Colman  preaching  the  first  ser- 
mon, the  monthly  Ante-Communion  or  Prepara- 
tory Lecture.  In  this  lecture  the  First  Church 
and  the  Brattle  Street  Church  were  associated,  the 
ministers  preaching  it  alternately,  on  Friday  after- 
noon. The  lecture  was  continued  in  this  form 
for  nearly  a  century.  Then  other  churches  united 
in  it,  and  when  the  present  pastor  of  this  church 
entered  upon  his  duties,  the  ministers  of  the  Fed- 

another  system  of  doctrines  will  be  preached  up,  which  at 
present  are  somewhat  unpopular  ;  therefore  cannot  be  with 
safety  expressly  and  openly  espoused.  For  the  sake  of 
which,  that  they  may  be  privily  introduced,  and  from  a  desire 
and  design  to  extirpate  the  more  commonly  received,  popular 
doctrines,  many  think  they  have  good  reason  to  conclude 
this  method  with  respect  to  candidates  is  gone  into."  When 
it  is  considered  that  this  was  written  in  1768,  one  is  reminded 
of  Solomon's  declaration,  "  There  is  nothing  new  under 
the  sun."  The  modern  charge  of  concealment,  "privily"  is 
an  old  affair,  and  the  neglect  of  councils  to  examine  candi- 
dates had  its  advocates  and  abetters  a  century  ago  in  the 
Congregational  churches  of  New  England. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  67 

eral  Street,  the  New  South,  and  the  Purchase 
Street  Churches  were  united  with  those  of  the 
First  and  the  Brattle  Street  Churches  in  preaching 
a  monthly  Ante- Communion  Lecture  at  Federal 
Street,  on  Thursday  evening.  It  was,  however, 
I  am  sorry  to  say,  but  thinly  attended  ;  the  united 
representation  from  the  five  congregations  asso- 
ciated in  the  service  seldom  making  an  audience 
so  large  as  to  be  very  inspiring  to  the  preacher. 
During  the  summer  of  1837,  the  lecture  was  dis- 
continued, with  the  intention  of  renewing  it  in  the 
autumn.  But  it  was  never  resumed,  the  minis- 
ters thinking  that  in  some  other  way,  by  other 
modes  and  forms  of  instruction,  each  could  more 
effectually  benefit  his  own  people.  No  notice  of 
this  discontinuance,  at  least  none  that  I  ever 
heard  of,  was  taken,  and  no  objection  made  to  it, 
by  any  of  the  churches  associated  in  it.  I  have 
long  regretted  that  this  lecture  was  discontinued  ; 
and  were  it  not  that  all  the  signs  and  tendencies 
of  the  times  are  against  it,  I  should  still  hope  to 
see  the  First  Church  and  Brattle  Street,  for  so 
many  years  sister  churches,  again  united  in  some 
common  service  of  the  kind. 

Dr.  Colman  and  Mr.  Cooper  were  associate 
pastors  of  the  church  for  more  than  twenty-seven 
years.  They  worked  together  with  extraordinary 
efficiency,  and,  considering  the  religious  agitation 
of  a  portion  of  this  period,  and  the  strong  con- 


68  THE    HISTORY    OF 

trasts  in  their  characters,  with  extraordinary  har- 
mony ;  indeed,  so  far  as  the  records  show,  with 
entire  and  perfect  harmony.  To  those  who  are  at 
all  acquainted  with  the  ecclesiastical  annals  of  New 
England,  it  is  well  known  that  the  year  1740 
is  called  the  year  of  the  Great  A  wakening,  occa- 
sioned by  the  advent  or  mission  of  the  celebrated 
Whitefield  to  this  country.  As  it  is  a  well-estab- 
lished fact  that  Colman  and  Cooper  ultimately 
differed  somewhat  in  their  estimate  of  this  person, 
and  of  the  line  of  conduct  they  were  disposed  to 
pursue  in  relation  to  him,  and  the  excitement  of 
the  times,  I  expected  to  find  in  the  records  some 
evidences  of  this,  —  at  least,  some  notices  of 
Whitefield  that  would  help  to  throw  light  upon 
the  matter  of  his  preaching  in  this  pulpit,  and  the 
opposition  of  interests  and  feelings,  if  any  were 
occasioned  or  excited  thereby.  But  the  records 
are  silent  upon  the  whole  subject.  I  have  made 
researches  in  various  directions  for  satisfactory 
information  upon  this  matter,  but  without  suc- 
cess. It  is  generally  understood  that  Whitefield 
preached  his  first  sermon  in  the  pulpit  of  Brattle 
Street  Church.  The  only  authority  for  this  is 
the  assertion  to  that  effect  of  an  anonymous  writer 
of  that  day.  Whitefield  himself,  in  one  of  his  let- 
ters, in  describing  his  first  visit  to  Boston,  says, 
"  On  the  first  Lord's  day  I  heard  Dr.  Colman, 
in  the  forenoon,  notwithstanding  he  asked  me  to 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  69 

preach  after  he  was  up  in  the  pulpit  and  had  fin- 
ished the  first  prayer."  In  the  afternoon,  he 
certainly  preached  for  Mr.  Foxcroft,  of  the  First 
Church.  If  his  first  sermon  was  preached  in  our 
pulpit,  then  it  must  have  been  preached  at  a  lec- 
ture. But  whether  Whitefield's  first  sermon  was 
preached  here  or  not,  he  certainly  preached  in 
our  pulpit,  and  Mr.  Cooper  entered  largely  into 
the  excitement  he  awakened,  and  the  congrega- 
tion was  largely  affected  by  it  also.  In  1741, 
eighty-five  persons  were  added  to  the  church  ; 
and  in  the  following  year,  forty-two  were  added. 
From  all  that  can  be  ascertained  upon  the  sub- 
ject, it  is  evident  that,  in  relation  to  the  Great 
Awakening,  as  it  is  called,  Dr.  Colman  and  his 
colleague,  Mr.  Cooper,  entertained  widely  differ- 
ent views,*  and   that  this   difference   of  opinion 

*  The  following    passage    in   one  of  Dr.  Palfrey's    notes 
places  this  point  beyond  dispute. 

"Dr.  Colman  wrote,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Williams  of  Leba- 
non, 'It  is  at  this  day  enough  to  make  the  heart  of  a  sober 
and  considerate  Christian  bleed  within  him  to  hear  of  the 
sore  rents  and  divisions  made  by  Mr.  Davenport  and  others 
in  a  great  number  of  towns  and  churches  throughout  our 
provinces.  Almost  all  on  Long  Island  are  thus  broken  to 
pieces,  and  so  are  many  in  Connecticut,  and  with  us  of  the 
Massachusetts  to  a  sorrowful  degree.'  And  in  his  sermon  at 
the  ordination  of  S.  Cooper,  he  expresses  his  '  wish  before 
God,  and  in  his  fear,  that  those  among  ourselves  who  have  of 
late  years  taken  upon  themselves  to  go  about  exhorting  and 
preaching,   grossly   unfurnished   with    ministerial    gifts   and 


70  THE    HISTORY    OF 

extended  to  the  congregation  also  ;  and  it  is  to 
the  credit  of  all  the  parties  concerned,  that  no 
schism  took  place,  —  that  the  harmony  of  the  par- 
ish and  of  the  pastors  was  unbroken. 

After  a  brief  illness,  Mr.  Cooper  died  of  apo- 
plexy, December  14th,  1743.  The  day  previous 
had  been  spent  by  the  congregation  in  fasting  and 
prayer  for  his  recovery,  a  public  service  being 
held  in  the  church  morning  and  afternoon,  the  min- 

knovvledge,  would  suffer  those  words  of  the  Lord  [Jeremiah 
xxiii.  31,  32]  to  sink  deep  into  their  hearts,  to  check  them  in 
their  bold  career,  and  blind  censures  of  many  faithful  pastors, 
into  whose  folds  they  are  daily  breaking,  and  because  of  the 
mildness  of  our  spirits  towards  them,  seem  to  grow  the  more 
bold  and  fierce.  And  it  were  greatly  to  be  wished  that  peo- 
ple would  beware  of  such  straggling,  illiterate  teachers,  and 
avoid  them,  in  whatever  appearance  of  sheep's  clothing  they 
may  come.'  Cooper's  feeling  on  the  subject  appears  from  the 
following  extract  of  a  preface  written  by  him  for  a  sermon  by 
Jonathan  Edwards,  about  a  year  after  the  revival  began.  '  If 
any  are  resolutely  set  to  disbelieve  this  work,  to  reproach 
and  oppose  it,  they  must  be  left  to  the  free,  sovereign  power 
and  mercy  of  God  to  enlighten  and  rescue  them.  These,  if 
they  have  had  opportunity  to  be  rightly  informed,  I  am  ready 
to  think,  would  have  been  disbelievers  and  opposers  of  the 
miracles  and  mission  of  our  Saviour,  had  they  lived  in  his 
days.  The  malignity  which  some  of  them  have  discovered 
to  me  approaches  near  to  the  unpardonable  sin;  and  they  had 
need  beware  lest  they  sin  the  sin  which  is  unto  death.' ' 
"  That  Dr.  Colman  at  first  entertained  a  most  favorable  opin- 
ion of  Whitefield  is  evident  from  his  inviting  him  to  preach, 
and  from  lavish  praise  bestowed  upon  him  in  a  sermon  which 
Colman  delivered  at  a  Tuesday  Evening  Lecture,  October  21, 
1740.  "  —  Palfrey's  Sermon,  pp.  49,  54. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  71 

isters  of  the  town  assisting  therein.  He  expired 
at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning.  "  The  congrega- 
tion," writes  Dr.  Colman  in  the  records,  "  met 
that  afternoon,  and  voted  to  bury  him  by  a  sub- 
scription, which  presently  rose  to  nine  hundred 
pounds.  They  put  his  whole  family  and  me  into 
mourning,  and  gave  rings  to  all  the  ministers  of 
the  association.  On  Thursday  the  funeral  was 
attended,  with  great  solemnity.  The  church  and 
congregation  walked  before  the  hearse,  two  and 
two,  and  never  was  there  a  greater  mourning 
through  the  town  and  county.  The  ministers 
that  bore  the  pall  and  the  deacons  of  the  church 
had  mourning  gloves  and  hatbands,  which  was 
new  to  us,  but  very  decent.  The  salary  was 
voted  to  be  continued  to  the  family  till  further 
order."  This  extract  from  the  records  shows 
that  Mr.  Cooper  had  the  respect,  the  confidence, 
and  the  strong  attachment  of  his  people. 

He  does  not  hold  that  prominent  place  among 
the  worthies  of  our  church,  or  in  the  annals  of  the 
New  England  clergy,  which  his  talents  and  ser- 
vices might  claim  for  him.  This  is  attributable, 
I  think,  to  the  fact  that  he  was  a  junior  pastor, 
dying  before  he  came  into  the  sole  charge  of  the 
pulpit,  and  also  to  the  circumstance  that  his  pulpit 
was  so  soon  filled  by  another  person  of  the  same 
name,  his  own  son,  whose  more  popular  talents 
and  showy  qualities  and  longer  ministry  tended  to 


72  THE    HISTORY    OF 

obscure  the  father's  fame.  Mr.  Cooper  was,  in 
reality,  a  man  of  uncommon  talents,  of  large  and 
accurate  learning,  and  possessing  some  sterling 
qualities  of  character.  He  was  chosen  President 
of  Harvard  College,  and  his  election  would  have 
been  unanimously  confirmed  by  the  Board  of 
Overseers,  but  that,  just  before  the  vote  was 
to  be  taken,  a  letter  from  him  was  read,  in 
which  he  u  wholly  excused  himself  from  that 
honor  and  trust,"  being  unwilling  to  be  separated 
from  the  people  of  his  charge.  To  this  charge 
he  devoted  himself  with  entire  fidelity  and  una- 
bating  zeal. 

Unlike  Dr.  Colman,  he  concerned  himself 
little  with  those  interests  of  the  community 
that  lie  outside  the  immediate  duties  and  walk 
of  the  clerical  profession,  and  to  this  is  it  owing, 
perhaps,  that  his  name  is  now  so  much  less 
known  among  us.  He  was  a  strenuous  advo- 
cate, however,  for  Congregational  liberty  and 
independence.  One  of  the  most  important  inci- 
dents of  his  life,  and  on  that  served  admirably 
for  the  display  of  the  sterling  qualities  of  his  char- 
acter, was  his  connection  with  the  troubles  that 
occurred  in  the  church  at  Springfield,  at  the  or- 
dination of  the  Rev.  Robert  Breck,  in  17o6. 
These  troubles  originated  in  the  supposed  heresy 
of  Mr.  Breck,  who  was  not  thought  to  be  quite 
sound  upon  the  doctrines  of  Atonement,  Election, 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  73 

and  some  other  points.  He  was  charged  with 
holding  the  opinion,  that  God  could  forgive  sin 
upon  simple  repentance,  without  any  satisfaction 
being  made  to  his  justice  ;  and  with  maintaining, 
that,  if  the  decrees  of  God  in  regard  to  election 
were  absolute  and  unchangeable,  so  that  naught 
men  could  perform  or  neglect  could  alter  their 
condition,  all  encouragement  to  duty  and  moral 
effort  was  removed.  He  was  accused,  also,  of 
regarding  the  important  passage,  1  John  v.  7,  as 
no  part  of  holy  writ,  and  with  receiving  the 
Apostles'  declaration,  u  In  every  nation,  he  that 
feareth  God  and  worketh  righteousness  is  ac- 
cepted of  him,"  in  an  unqualified  sense,  and 
believing  that  the  heathen  who  acted  up  to  their 
light  would  not  be  damned  hereafter  for  want  of 
faith  in  Christ.  But  though  obnoxious  to  several 
ministers  of  the  Hampshire  Association,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  supposed  opinions  upon  the  above 
points,  he  was  regularly  invited  to  become  the 
pastor  of  the  church  in  Springfield,  and  the  coun- 
cil called  to  ordain  him  met  there  on  the  7th  of 
October,  1735.  Mr.  Cooper  was  moderator  of 
this  council,  which  was  composed  of  two  other 
Boston  ministers,  Messrs.  Welsteed  and  Samuel 
Mather,  Mr.  Cooke  of  Sudbury,  and  three  cler- 
gymen of  the  Hampshire  Association.  The  coun- 
cil entered  upon  the  examination  of  the  charges 
against   Mr.    Breck  ;    but    its   proceedings  were 


74 


THE    HISTORY    OF 


interrupted.  Mr.  Breck  was  arrested  and  carried 
into  Connecticut.  An  attempt  was  made  even  to 
arrest  those  members  of  the  council  who  were 
not  citizens  of  the  county  of  Hampshire.  A 
warrant  for  this  purpose  was  issued,  but  not 
served.  The  council,  after  coming  to  a  result 
in  which  they  advised  the  church  in  Springfield 
to  abide  by  their  invitation  to  Mr.  Breck,  and 
continue  their  favorable  regards  towards  him,  ad- 
journed for  a  few  days,  to  meet  in  Boston.  The 
parish  brought  the  matter  before  the  General 
Court,  where  it  was  decided,  after  a  full  and 
patient  hearing,  that  the  proceedings  of  the  ma- 
jority of  the  parish  in  reference  to  the  call  of 
Mr.  Breck  were  regular,  and  within  their  legiti- 
mate rights  ;  that  the  council  was  regularly  consti- 
tuted, and  the  matter  must  be  allowed  to  proceed. 
After  this  decision,  the  council  met  again  in  Jan- 
uary, and  Mr.  Breck  was  ordained  on  the  26th 
of  that  month,  1736,  Mr.  Cooper  preaching  the 
sermon. 

The  real  question  at  issue  in  this  difficulty  was, 
whether  the  church  at  Springfield  should  be  al- 
lowed to  choose  its  own  minister,  itself  judging 
of  his  soundness  or  heresy,  or  whether  it  should 
be  controlled  in  that  choice  by  the  Hampshire 
Association  and  other  foreign  influences.  In  the 
proceedings  of  the  council,  as  its  moderator,  and 
in  the   pamphlet   controversy    that   ensued,    Mr. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  75 

Cooper  took  an  active  and  prominent  part,  and 
always  in  behalf  of  Congregational  liberty  and 
independence.  A  pamphlet  of  a  hundred  pages, 
examining  and  answering  a  document  put  forth 
by  the  Hampshire  ministers,  is  presumed  to 
have  been  written  by  him.  This  pamphlet  was 
anonymous,  but  it  was  attributed  to  him  at  the 
time,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  it  was 
the  production  of  his  pen.  Of  this,  Dr.  Palfrey 
very  justly  observes  :  u  He  did  (evj  things  more 
honorable  to  him.  It  well  expounds  the  true 
doctrine  concerning  the  rights  of  churches,  the 
constitution  of  councils,  and  the  impropriety  of 
interference  on  the  part  of  associations."  Aside 
from  the  sphere  of  his  immediate  duties  as  the 
pastor  of  this  church,  this  was  the  most  impor- 
tant public  event  in  which  Mr.  Cooper  took  a 
prominent  part,  and  his  conduct  on  this  occasion 
illustrates  the  practical  wisdom  and  the  firmness 
and  independence  of  his  character. 

From  such  examination  as  I  have  been  able  to 
give  to  his  writings,  and  from  all  that  I  can  gather 
of  his  history,  he  seems  to  me  to  have  been  a  man 
to  be  profoundly  respected  and  revered,  rather 
than  strongly  and  tenderly  beloved  ;  —  a  man  of 
independence,  firmness,  courage,  zeal,  sincerity, 
but  not  a  man  in  whom  any  winning  graces  of 
manner  or  of  disposition  abounded  ;  —  in  short,  a 
man  in  whom  the  rigid  Calvinism  of  that  day,  in 


76  THE    HISTORY    OF 

its  austerity,  its  repulsiveness,    and  its  strength, 
was  fitly  represented.* 

After  his  death,  Dr.  Colrnan,  with  occasional 
help  from  President  Holyoke  and  Professor  Ap- 
pleton  from  Cambridge,  took  the  sole  charge  of 
the  pulpit,  thanking  God,  as  he  says  in  the  rec- 
ords, "that  I  have  found  strength  renewed  for 
the  double  work  and  care  which  this  bereavement 
hath  called  me  to."  Already  sinking  beneath  the 
burden  of  threescore  years  and  ten,  his  great  de- 
sire now  was  to  see  the  flock  which  he  had  gath- 
ered, and  to  which  for  so  many  years  he  had  min- 
istered, provided  with  a  faithful  shepherd  before 
his  death.  In  this  desire  he  was  not  disappointed. 
After  hearing  several  candidates,  the  society,  in 

*  Among  the  writings  of  Mr.  Cooper  that  are  extant,  the 
most  important  and  elaborate  that  I  have  met  with  is  a  little 
volume,  published  by  "  J.  Edwards  and  H.  Foster,  Cornhil, 
1740,"  entitled,  "  The  Doctrine  of  Predestination  unto  Life, 
Explained  and  Vindicated  :  In  Four  Sermons,  preached  to 
the  Church  of  Christ  in  Brattle  Street,  and  published  at  their 
general  Desire  :  With  some  additional  Passages  and  Quota- 
tions.'" This  volume  is  preceded  by  a  Preface,  signed  by 
Benjamin  Colman,  Joseph  Sewall,  Thomas  Prince,  Andrew 
Le  Mercier,  John  Webb,  in  which  they  say,  "  We  willingly 
take  this  opportunity  to  testify  our  concurrence  with  the 
Author  in  the  verity  and  importance  of  this  Doctrine,  and  our 
satisfaction  in  his  having  preached  and  published  these  Dis- 
courses." I  have  by  me  a  copy  of  the  first  edition  of  this 
work.  It  was  published  in  London  about  twenty-five  years 
after  its  publication  here,  and  was  reprinted  in  Boston  in 
1804. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  77 

December,  1745,  made  choice  of  Mr.  Samuel 
Cooper,  the  son  of  their  late  junior  pastor,  and 
he  was  ordained  May  22d,  1746.  Fifteen  months 
afterwards,  August  29th,  1747,  Dr.  Colman 
closed  a  long  and  useful  life,  and  with  a  few  re- 
marks upon  his  character  and  ministry*  I  shall 
close  this  discourse. 

Among  the  distinguished  men  of  the  clergy  of 
Massachusetts,  there  have  been  few,  if  any, 
whose  talents,  character,  and  usefulness  make 
them  more  worthy  our  thorough  esteem  and  grate- 
ful remembrance  than  Benjamin  Colman.  Like 
his  two  associates  in  office,  he  was  a  native  of 
this  town,  his  father  having  come  from  London 
and  settled  in  Boston  about  two  years  before  his 
birth,  which  occurred  on  the  19th  of  October, 
1673.  He  was,  therefore,  twenty-six  years  of 
age  when  called  to  the  pastoral  office  in  this 
church.  He  was  prepared  for  college  by  that 
celebrated  grammar-master,  Ezekiel  Cheever,  and 
took  his  Bachelor's  degree  in  1692.  u  Being  de- 
voted to  the  work  of  the  evangelical  ministry  by 
his  parents,  and  inclining  to  it  from  his  child- 
hood," he  immediately  commenced  the  study  of 
theology,  and  began  to  preach  occasionally  about 
a  year  after  leaving  college.  There  being  a  va- 
cancy in  the  pulpit  at  Medford,  he  preached  there 
for  some  months,  but  declined  an  invitation  to 
settle  in  that  town.     His  health  at  this  time  was 


78  THE    HISTORY    OF 

delicate.  When  he  pronounced  the  Master's  ora- 
tion on  taking  his  second  degree,  "  his  thin  and 
slender  appearance,  his  soft  and  delicate  voice,  and 
the  red  spots  on  his  cheeks,  caused  the  audience 
to  conclude  him  bordering  on  consumption,  and 
to  be  designed  but  for  a  few  weeks  of  life." 
But  Providence  had  an  important  work  for  him 
to  do  on  earth.  Within  three  weeks  after  his 
Master's  oration,  he  sailed  for  England,  to  make 
improvement  by  what  he  could  see  and  learn 
there.  The  vessel  in  which  he  sailed  was  taken 
by  a  French  privateer,  and  he  was  carried  into 
Nantes.  After  various  fortunes  he  was  set  at  lib- 
erty, and  made  his  way  to  London.  He  was  four 
years  in  England,  where  he  preached  with  great  ac- 
ceptance in  various  places,  and  made  the  acquaint- 
ance and  secured  the  friendship  of  some  of  the 
most  distinguished  of  the  Dissenting  clergy  of  that 
day,  and  also  of  several  divines  of  the  Established 
Church,  particularly  of  Dr.  Hough,  Bishop  of 
Oxford,  celebrated  for  his  opposition  to  the  arbi- 
trary measures  of  James  the  Spcond,  for  the 
wisdom  and  humility  which  led  him  to  decline  the 
primacy  of  England,  and  for  the  green  old  age 
which  he  enjoyed  to  his  ninety-third  year.  This 
visit  of  four  years  to  England  was  of  essential 
service  to  Colman,  in  enlarging  his  knowledge  of 
men  and  things,  and  confirming  his  liberal  views 
and  principles.     But  for  the  invitation  which  he 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  79 

received  from  this  church,  he  would  probably  have 
settled  in  the  ministry  in  England,  and  passed  the 
greater  portion,  if  not  the  whole,  of  his  life  there. 
Under  the  circumstances,  the  selection  of  Col- 
man  to  be  the  first  minister  of  this  church  was 
the  most  fortunate  that  could  have  been  made. 
At  least  among  his  contemporaries  we  find  none 
better  fitted  for  the  difficult  post.  Firm  without 
obstinacy,  conciliatory  without  compromise,  dig- 
nified without  pride  or  pretension,  a  polished  gen- 
tleman in  his  manners,  a  patient  student  and 
thorough  scholar  in  his  learning,  enlarged,  pene- 
trating, comprehensive  in  his  views  and  princi- 
ples as  a  man,  sincere,  benevolent,  devout  in  his 
faith  and  feelings  as  a  Christian  and  a  pastor,  he 
was  admirably  fitted  to  take  charge  of  the  new 
church,  and  carry  out  with  mingled  wisdom,  firm- 
ness, and  gentleness  the  customs  and  principles 
which  it  had  adopted,  and  to  him  do  we  greatly 
owe  it,  that  the  most  important  of  these  customs 
and  principles  received  at  last  the  approval  and 
adoption  of  most  of  the  New  England  Congrega- 
tional churches.  But  though  ever  faithful  as  the 
pastor  of  this  church,  his  influence  and  his  labors 
were  by  no  means  confined  to  it.  Though  gifted 
with  every  quality  to  attract  admiration  and  ap- 
plause, he  seems  to  have  had  little  love  of  mere 
popular  notoriety.  His  great  ambition  was  to  be 
useful  ;  he  therefore  gave  himself  to  many  labors 


SO  THE    HISTORY"    OF 

that  are  eminently  serviceable  to  the  community, 
but  bring  in  little  fame.  His  services  to  the  Col- 
lege, direct  and  indirect,  are  sufficient  to  make 
him  rank  among  its  first  benefactors.  By  his 
large  correspondence  abroad,  he  attracted  to  it  the 
attention  of  eminent  persons  in  England,  and  pro- 
cured for  it  important  donations  in  books  and 
money.  He  was  for  many  years  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Corporation,  and  would  have  accepted 
the  presidency,  to  which  he  was  chosen  and  con- 
firmed by  the  Board  of  Overseers,  but  the  House 
of  Representatives,  with  whom  the  matter  then 
rested,  would  make  no  provision  for  his  support.* 

*  "Upon  the  death  of  President  Leverett,  in  1724,  and  the 
refusal  of  Rev.  Joseph  Sewall  to  accept  the  vacant  chair, 
Colman  was  chosen  by  the  Corporation,  on  the  18th  of  No- 
vember, to  succeed  his  former  tutor  and  constant  friend  as 
head  of  the  institution  whose  interests  it  had  been  the  study 
and  delight  of  both  to  promote ;  a  sufficient  evidence,  if  we 
had  no  other,  of  the  confidence  reposed  in  his  abilities  by  the 
friends  of  the  College.  His  election  was  approved  by  the 
Overseers  on  the  24th  of  the  same  month,  and  a  committee 
of  that  body  was  appointed  to  inform  Mr.  Colman  of  their 
approbation  of  his  election,  and  to  desire  his  acceptance,  and 
to  apply  to  his  church  for  his  discharge  from  the  pastoral  of- 
fice ;  and  also  to  '  wait  on  the  Honorable  Gen'  Court  to  in- 
form them  of  the  Choice  that  is  made  of  a  President  and  to 
move  for  a  proper  Salary  for  his  Incouragement.'  But,  un- 
fortunately, Colman  was  peculiarly  obnoxious  to  a  majority 
of  the  House  of  Representatives,  where  sectarian  prejudices 
and  political  animosities  now  raged  hand  in  hand  ;  and  con- 
sequently, when  the  memorial  of  the  committee  of  the  Over- 
seers was  laid  before  them,  praying  that  they  would  'appoint 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  81 

Of  many  measures  for  the  benefit  of  the  town  of 
Boston  he  was  the  originator,  and  in  every  enter- 


a  larger  salary  than  has  been  usually  allowed,  for  the  honor- 
able maintenance  of  the  President,'  it  was  voted  that,  '  foras- 
much as  at  present  it  is  uncertain  whether  the  Church,  of 
which  the  Rev.  Mr.  Colman  is  Pastor,  can  be  persuaded  to 
part  from  him,  or  whether  Mr.  Colman  is  inclinable  to  leave 
his  Church  and  undertake  the  office  of  President  of  Harvard 
College,  and  this  being  a  matter  of  great  weight  and  impor- 
tance, especially  to  the  establishment  of  the  Churches  in  the 
Province,  as  well  as  to  the  said  College,  the  further  consider- 
ation of  this  memorial  be  therefore  referred  until  the  said  Mr. 
Colman's  mind,  as  well  as  [that]  of  the  Church  of  which  he 
is  pastor,  be  communicated  to  this  Court,  and  made  certain, 
whether,  he  and  they  are  willing  he  should  accept  of  the 
choice  and  undertake  the  office  of  a  President  of  Harvard 
College,  to  which  he  is  chosen  as  aforesaid.'  This  vote,  al- 
though not  concurred  in  by  the  Council,  indicated  with  suffi- 
cient clearness  the  disposition  of  the  popular  branch  of  the 
General  Court  towards  Mr.  Colman,  and  convinced  him  that 
it  was  useless  to  expect  from  them  a  permanent  provision  for 
his  support,  should  he  accept  the  Presidency  ;  and  the  melan- 
choly experience  of  his  predecessors  in  that  office  was  a 
warning  to  him  of  what  he  himself  might  expect,  should  he 
trust  his  fortunes  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  Provincial 
government.  He  was  also  well  acquainted  with  the  feelings 
of  the  General  Court  towards  him,  as  is  evident  from  a  letter 
on  this  subject  to  White  Kennett,  Bishop  of  Peterborough,  in 
which  he  says,  '  I  am  not  well  in  the  opinion  of  our  House 
of  Representatives  of  late  years,  on  whom  the  President  de- 
pends for  his  subsistence,  and  they  could  not  have  pinched 
me  without  the  Chair's  suffering  with  me,  which  I  could  by 
no  means  consent  it  should  do  for  my  sake.'  Determined 
therefore,  to  bring  the  question  of  his  support  to  a  speedy  de- 
cision, and  having  privately  seen  a  copy  of  the  vote  passed 


82  THE    HISTORY    OF 

prise  that  concerned  the  improvement  of  the  com- 
munity he  took  a  prominent  part.  In  short,  his 
life  forms  a  chapter  in  the  history  of  New  Eng- 
land. His  influence  was  felt  in  every  quarter,  his 
advice   was    sought    upon  all    occasions,    and   in 

on  the  3d  instant  by  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  been 
informed  of  its  nonconcurrence  by  the  Council,  Mr.  Colman 
addressed  a  letter,  on  the  10th  of  December,  to  Hon.  Samuel 
Sewall,  chairman  of  the  committee  of  the  Overseers,  in 
which,  after  stating  that,  although  he  had  always  served  the 
College  to  the  extent  of  his  abilities,  he  not  only  had  never 
sought  the  office  of  President,  but  had  rather  shunned  it,  and 
expressing  his  disinclination  to  leave  his  church,  he  declares 
that,  'as  I  wish  the  President  in  all  times  to  come  may  espe- 
cially give  himself  unto  sacred  studies  and  exercises,  so  I 
would  humbly  supplicate  the  General  Court  for  any  one  who 
shall  do  so,  to  grant  him  a  very  sufficient  and  honorable  sup- 
port ;  but  for  the  honorable  Court  to  insist  on  their  vote  of 
knowing  my  mind,  whether  I  am  willing  to  accept  of  the 
choice,  and  to  undertake  the  office  of  President,  to  which  I 
am  chosen,  and  also  of  knowing  my  Church's  mind,  whether 
they  can  part  from  me,  before  they  will  fix  any  salary  for  me 
in  the  said  office,  must  determine  me  to  give  my  answer  in 
the  negative  to  the  Honorable  and  Reverend  the  Overseers 
of  Harvard  College,  which  in  that  case  I  now  do.'  This 
letter  being  read  at  a  meeting  of  the  Overseers,  on  the  17th 
of  December,  the  committee  was  directed  to  '  wait  again  on 
the  honorable  General  Court,  with  Mr.  Colman's  answer  and 
with  this  vote,  praying  that  the  matter  of  a  salary  may  be 
considered  by  them,  and  so  acted  upon  as  may  be  most  for 
the  speedy  settlement  of  a  President  in  the  said  College,  and 
therein  for  the  good  of  the  whole  Province.'  The  proceed- 
ings of  the  Representatives,  upon  the  reception  of  this  ap- 
plication, were  as  follows,  as  stated  in  the  Records  of  the 
Overseers  (Book  I.  pp   72-74)  :  — 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  83 

matters  civil  and  ecclesiastical  bis  opinions  had 
weight.  Perhaps  the  best  summary  of  Dr.  Col- 
man's  character  that  has  been  given  is  that  of 
Dr.  Barnard,  who  describes  him  "  as  a  most 
gentlemanly  man,  of  polite  aspect  and  conversa- 

"  '  The  Overseers  met  according  to  adjournment  aforesaid 
Dec.  18,  1724,  In  the  Council-Chamber  in  Boston. 

'"The  aforesaid  Committee  of  the  Overseers  made  report 
that  they  had  waited  on  the  General  Court  with  Mr.  Colman's 
answer  and  the  Votes  of  the  last  meeting,  which  were  read 
and  debated  in  the  House,  the  return  thereto  being  as  fol- 
lows, viz.  : 

"  '  In  the  House  of  Representatives  Dec.  18,  1724. 

"  'The  question  was  put, 

"  '  Whether  the  Court  would  establish  a  salary  or  allow- 
ance for  the  President  of  Harvard  College  for  the  time  being 
before  the  person  chosen  to  that  office  had  accepted  the  duty 
and  trust  thereof. 

"  '  It  passed  in  the  Negative,  nemine  contradicente. 

"  '  Wm.  Dudley,  Speaker. 
"  '  Sent  up  for  concurrence. 

"'  In  Council,  Dec.  18th,  1724. 
'"Read  and  Nonconcurred. 

"  '  J.  Willard,  Secretary.' 

"  Notwithstanding  the  nonconcurrence  of  the  Council,  the 
symptoms  of  hostility  were  too  strong  to  be  mistaken,  and 
Colman's  independence  of  spirit  would  not  allow  him  to  be 
dependent  for  support  upon  the  uncertain  favors  of  party  ad- 
ministration. Accordingly,  upon  the  26th  of  this  month,  in 
answer  to  another  application  from  the  Overseers,  he  trans- 
mitted his  final  answer  to  the  committee  of  that  board,  in  the 
negative,  declaring  that  he  '  does  not  see  his  way  clear  to  ac- 
cept of  the  choice  made  of  him  to  be  the  President  of  the 
College.'  "  — New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Reg- 
ister, Vol.  III.  pp.  223^-225. 


84       THE    HISTORY    OF    BRATTLE    STREET    CHURCH. 

tion,  very  extensive  erudition,  great  devotion  of 
spirit  and  behavior,  a  charming  and  admired 
preacher,  extensively  serviceable  to  the  College 
and  the  country,  whose  works  breathe  his  exalt- 
ed, oratorical,  devout,  and  benign  spirit,  an  ex- 
cellent man  in  spirit,  in  faith,  in  holiness,  and 
charity." 

With  all  his  excellences  and  valuable  public 
services,  Colman  was  not  popular,  that  is,  he  was 
not  a  general  favorite  with  the  community.  It  is 
a  singular  circumstance,  that,  with  the  exception 
of  the  sermon  preached  by  his  young  colleague, 
no  notice  was  taken  of  his  death  in  the  pulpits  of 
this  town  or  neighborhood.  But  in  him  the  text 
is  fulfilled.  Though  some  of  his  contemporaries 
failed  to  do  him  justice,  his  name  is  now  held  in 
honored  remembrance  ;  and  to  us  of  this  church 
and  congregation,  this  brief  review  of  his  minis- 
try, his  life  and  character,  should  be  an  incentive 
to  fidelity  in  all  duty. 

January  27th,  1850. 


SERMON    III. 


THE     RIGHTEOUS     SHALL    BE     IN     EVERLASTING     REMEM 

brance. — Psalm  cxii.  6. 

The  Lord's  Supper  was  publicly  administered 
to  the  church  in  Brattle  Square  for  the  first  time 
on  the  14th  of  February,  1700.  I  make  the 
proximity  of  the  anniversary  of  this  event  an 
occasion  for  continuing  our  review  of  its  history. 

My  last  sermon  closed  with  the  ministry  of 
Dr.  Colman,  and  some  brief  remarks  on  his  char- 
acter and  services.  We  enter  this  morning 
upon  the  ministry  of  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
and  distinguished  men  of  his  day,  Dr.  Samuel 
Cooper,  the  third  pastor  of  the  church,  whose 
name  will  always  be  had  in  remembrance.  His 
ministry  covered  a  very  interesting  period  in  the 
history  both  of  this  church  and  of  the  country  ; 
and  although  on  the  whole  it  was  eminently  bril- 
liant and  useful,  it  was  marked  by  some  events, 
in  relation  to  which  the  decisions  of  the  parish 
seem  not  to  have   been  guided  by  a  practical  and 


86  THE    HISTORY    OF 

prospective  wisdom,  and  to  have  entailed  conse- 
quences which  have  a  somewhat  unfavorable  influ- 
ence upon  our  present  position  and  prospects. 

It  was  a  fortunate  circumstance,  that  before 
Dr.  Colman's  death  the  parish  was  already  pro- 
vided with  a  young  minister,  who,  from  the  mo- 
ment of  his  assuming  the  charge  of  the  pulpit, 
gained  constantly  a  stronger  hold  upon  their  con- 
fidence, affection,  and  respect.  Mr.  Samuel 
Cooper  was  settled  as  colleague  pastor  about 
fifteen  months  before  Dr.  Colman's  decease. 
Judging  from  the  records,  I  should  think  that, 
notwithstanding  his  eminent  gifts  and  qualifica- 
tions, it  was  owing,  in  large  part,  to  the  influence 
of  Dr.  Colman,  and  the  great  weight  which  his 
opinion  and  wishes  had  with  his  people  up  to  the 
hour  of  his  death,  that  the  choice  of  the  society 
fell  upon  Mr.  Cooper. 

At  a  parish  meeting  held  September  4th,  1744, 
about  nine  months  after  the  death  of  William 
Cooper,  it  was  voted  "  to  come  into  a  nomina- 
tion of  three  persons  to  preach  each  his  month 
with  us,  reserving  to  our  pastor  the  liberty  of 
asking  Mr.  Samuel  Cooper  to  preach  also,  if  he 
find  him  inclined  to  begin  his  evangelical  ser- 
vices." The  three  persons  nominated  at  this 
meeting  were  Messrs.  John  Whaley,  William 
Vinal,  and  Samuel  Langdon.  They  preached 
each   his   month  ;    they   were   followed   by    Mr. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  87 

Cooper,  who  preached  the  same  length  of  time, 
"  all  of  them,"  say  the  records,  "to  the  great 
acceptance  and  esteem,  both  of  the  pastor  and 
the  congregation."  At  the  end  of  these  four 
months  a  parish  meeting  was  held,  on  December 
31st;  ua  very  full  meeting,"  says  Colman,  in 
the  records,  "  of  no  less  than  one  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  in  number,  when,  having  opened  the 
meeting  with  a  prayer  suited  to  the  occasion,  I 
spoke  to  them  in  the  following  words."  As  the 
address  is  characteristic  of  the  times  and  the 
man,  I  give  it  entire. 

"Honored  and  Beloved,  —  You  will  remem- 
ber that  at  your  last  meeting,  the  fourth  day  of 
September  past,  you  nominated  and  chose  four 
persons  to  preach  each  his  month  with  us,  who 
have  accordingly  done  so,  every  one  of  them 
appearing  now  to  you,  I  suppose,  by  the  grace 
and  gift  of  Cod  in  them,  very  like  to  prove  great 
blessings  in  their  generation.  At  the,  meeting 
aforesaid,  you  w7ere  pleased  to  vote  your  assem- 
bling again  on  this  day,  and  I  thank  Cod  for  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  you  together,  with  a  happy 
prospect  of  unity  and  concert  in  the  great  and 
important  point  that  we  are  met  upon.  The 
year  of  our  mourning  under  the  holy,  bereaving 
hand  of  God  upon  us  is  now  finished.  We  have 
from  one  Lord's  day  to  another,  as  well  as  on 
our  set  and  solemn  days  of  humiliation  and  pray- 


88  THE    HISTORY    OF 

er,  been  supplicating  the  great  Head  of  the 
Church  to  repair  the  breach  in  his  own  time  and 
way,  and  give  us  another  pastor  after  his  own 
heart,  gifted  and  spirited  like  the  dear  deceased  ; 
and  I  hope  the  gracious  Saviour  has  such  an  one 
in  store  for  you  and  your  children,  your  families 
and  households.  Through  the  patience  of  God  I 
continue  with  you  to  this  day,  under  the  growing 
infirmities  of  age.  Nevertheless,  having  obtained 
help  of  God,  I  have  not  failed,  in  one  administra- 
tion or  other,  to  minister  every  Lord's  day,  and, 
I  thank  God,  to  your  kind  acceptance.  And  if 
I  may  now  live  to  see  you  united  in  your  choice 
of  another  pastor,  as  I  once  saw  your  worthy 
predecessors  and  not  a  (exv  of  yourselves  here 
present,  I  should  rejoice  and  give  thanks  with 
you  all.  Yea,  might  this  be  the  day,  it  will  be 
a  gladsome  one  to  me.  I  will  now  repeat  the 
names  of  the  young  gentlemen  who  have  been 
preaching  to  you  at  your  request,  —  Messrs. 
Whaley,  Vinal,  Langdon,  and  Cooper.  Show, 
Lord,  which  thou  hast  chosen,  and  lead  us  in  thy 
truth,  and  teach  us,  Father  of  righteousness,  for 
thy  name's  sake,  in  the  determinations  of  this 
morning.     Amen." 

After  this  address,  the  question  being  put, 
whether  they  should  now  proceed  to  ballot  for  the 
election  of  one  into  the  pastoral  office,  "  every 
hand  was   lift  up   with  appearing   great   alacrity 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  89 

and  gravity."  The  ballot  resulted  in  the  elec- 
tion of  Samuel  Cooper,  who  accepted  the  invita- 
tion. The  same  conditions  were  granted  to  him 
as  had  been  previously  granted  to  his  father, 
namely,  that  his  ordination  should  be  postponed 
for  a  year,  during  which  time  he  should  be  ex- 
pected to  preach  but  once  a  fortnight.  His  ordi- 
nation was  in  fact  postponed  nearly  a  year  and  a 
half,  and  then  took  place  apparently  amid  some 
diversity  of  opinion,  though  upon  what  points  the 
diversity  arose  cannot  now  be  ascertained. 

Under  date  of  the  25th  of  March,  1745,  Dr. 
Colman  records,  "  The  congregation  met,  and 
the  meeting  being  opened  with  prayer  by  the 
pastor,  after  more  than  an  hour's  debate,  it  was 
voted,  That  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Samuel  Cooper 
be  in  the  month  of  May  ensuing,  by  the  will  of 
God,  and  on  Wednesday,  the  21st  of  said  month, 
the  reverend  pastor  desiring  Mr.  Cooper,  in  the 
name  of  this  meeting,  on  the  second  or  third 
Lord's  day  from  this  date,  to  give  a  confession 
of  his  faith  in  the  public  assembly."  Probably 
it  was  the  latter  clause  of  this  vote  that  gave 
occasion  for  the  debate.  The  Great  Awakening 
of  1740  had  largely  subsided,  and  a  natural  reac- 
tion in  religious  opinion  and  feeling  had  begun. 
It  was  feared,  perhaps,  by  many  of  the  friends 
of  his  father  still  remaining  in  the  parish,  that 
young    Cooper's    creed    was    not    so    strict   and 


90  THE    HISTORY    OF 

sharply  defined  as  it  ought  to  be.  To  ascertain 
this  fact,  and  if  possible  bring  him  up  to  the 
orthodox  standard  and  confirm  him  in  it,  was 
probably  the  object  of  those  who  insisted  upon  a 
confession  of  faith,  while  the  more  liberal  part  of 
the  parish  were  satisfied  from  the  general  tone 
and  character  of  his  preaching,  which  they  had 
now  heard  for  more  than  a  year,  and  did  not  wish 
for  a  more  full  exposition  of  his  opinions  ;  or 
perhaps  they  regarded  the  demand  for  it  to  be 
an  imposition  upon  his  liberty.  The  demand 
was  made,  however,  and  answered.  "On  Lord's 
day,  April  6th,"  writes  Dr.  Colman  in  the  rec- 
ords, "  Mr.  Cooper  gave  in  a  sermon  a  confession 
of  his  faith  to  the  general  satisfaction  of  the  audi- 
ence," and  on  the  21st  of  the  following  month  of 
May  he  was  ordained  by  a  council  composed  of 
the  churches  of  Boston,  Charlestown,  and  Cam- 
bridge. 

In  relation  to  this  ordination  I  find  on  our  rec- 
ords a  vote  which,  on  account  of  its  bearing  upon 
the  principles  of  Congregationalism  and  the  light 
it  throws  upon  the  ecclesiastical  usages  of  our 
fathers,  is  of  sufficient  importance,  perhaps,  to  be 
noticed.  At  the  present  day,  in  our  portion  of 
the  Congregational  body,  an  ecclesiastical  coun- 
cil being  called  to  ordain  a  minister,  when  the 
proper  stage  in  the  proceedings  is  reached,  some 
one  nominates  a  particular  individual  (commonly 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  91 

one  whom  it  is  previously  understood  is  prepared 
for  the  service),  and  moves  that  he  be  appointed 
and  authorized  to  present  the  fellowship  of  the 
churches  on  the  occasion.  It  is  then  moved  that 
the  assignment  which  has  been  made  of  the  other 
parts  of  the  ordination  service  be  approved  by  the 
council  ;  that  is,  it  is  understood  that  the  council 
have  no  voice,  authority,  or  right  to  determine 
who  shall  perform  any  of  the  different  ordaining 
services,  other  than  that  which  relates  exclusively 
to  themselves,  namely,  the  expression  of  their  fel- 
lowship. On  the  other  hand,  it  is  contended  by 
some  that  a  council,  being  called  for  ordination, 
has  the  whole  matter  in  its  hands,  and  may  make 
any  arrangement  or  assignment  of  parts  that  it 
chooses  ;  that  it  is  not  a  matter  of  right  on  the 
part  of  the  church  or  the  candidate  to  appoint  them 
beforehand  ;  that  this  is  done  for  convenience 
only,  and  for  convenience  the  appointment  is  ap- 
proved by  the  council,  though  it  would  always  be 
at  its  discretion  and  within  its  power  to  make  any 
change.  In  relation  to  Mr.  Cooper's  ordination 
I  find  that  our  church  voted,  "  That  in  case  the 
reverend  pastor,  Dr.  Colman,  should  find  himself 
disabled  by  the  infirmities  of  age  or  bodily  weak- 
ness to  preside  in  the  proposed  ordination,  pray, 
and  give  the  charge  with  the  imposition  of  the 
hands  of  the  Presbytery,  then  he  be  desired  to 
request  the  Rev.  Dr.  Sewall,  in  the  name  of  the 


92  THE    HISTORY    OF 

church,  to  preside  and  lead  in  that  part  of  the 
solemnity."  This  service  Dr.  Sewall  subse- 
quently performed.  This  shows,  at  least,  what 
our  church  at  that  time  thought  of  its  rights,  and 
to  what  a  limited  extent  it  considered  a  discre- 
tionary power  attached  to  the  council. 

Samuel  Cooper  entered  upon  his  ministry  as 
pastor  of  Brattle  Street  Church  under  as  favora- 
ble circumstances  as  could  well  fall  to  the  lot  of 
any  one.  He  was  the  son  of  a  former  minister, 
not  long  deceased,  of  whom  the  most  grateful 
and  honored  recollections  were  cherished  in  the 
hearts  of  many,  who  stood  ready  to  transfer  to  the 
son  all  the  affection  and  reverence  they  had  felt 
for  the  father.  He  was  greatly  beloved  by  the 
senior  pastor,  and  was  his  especial  favorite  and 
choice  among  the  candidates  from  among  whom 
an  election  was  to  be  made.  Dr.  Colman  pretty 
distinctly  intimated  this  by  saying  in  a  sermon, 
preached  near  the  time  the  election  was  to  be 
made,  u  God  forbid  that  I  should  cease  to  pray 
for  you,  that  another  Cooper  (I  mean  one  like 
the  deceased)  be  set  over  you  in  the  Lord,  a 
man  of  learning,  parts,  and  powers,  such  as  this 
place  so  much  wants  and  calls  for."  For  a  year 
and  a  half  he  had  the  benefit  of  Dr.  Colman's 
advice,  council,  and  encouragement,  in  making  him 
fully  acquainted  with  the  parish  and  his  duties  ; 
and  in  addition  to  substantial  learning  and  parts,  he 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  93 

possessed  a  rare  combination  of  popular  gifts  and 
qualities,  which  secured  him  an  eminently  suc- 
cessful and  useful  ministry. 

We  are  compelled,  however,  to  resort  to  other 
sources  than  the  records  of  the  church  during  his 
pastorship  to  learn  any  thing  of  the  condition  and 
progress  of  our  affairs.  Twenty  lines  on  one  half- 
page  of  the  records,  and  about  as  many  more  on  a 
loose  sheet  of  paper,  comprise  all  that  stands  re- 
corded in  his  own  hand  of  his  ministry  of  thirty- 
nine  years'  duration.  The  loose  sheet  is  simply 
an  account  of  three  or  four  meetings  of  the  con- 
gregation, which  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  a  new 
edition  of  Tate  and  Brady,  with  an  appendix 
composed  chiefly  of  selections  from  Watts,  as 
the  hymn-book  to  be  used  in  public  worship, 
and  all  the  information  given  us  on  the  half- 
page  in  the  records  is,  that  the  society  wor- 
shipped for  the  first  time  in  the  new  church  on 
the  24th  of  July,  1773,  and  that  the  resignation 
of  Deacon  Storer  was  accepted  August  1st  of 
that  year,  "  with  the  full  approbation  on  the  part 
of  the  church  of  his  conduct  in  his  office."  In 
the  handwriting  of  Dr.  Thacher,  who  to  his 
other  eminent  graces  added  that  of  method  and 
order,  there  is  a  list  of  the  baptisms  administered, 
the  marriages  solemnized,  and  the  admissions  to 
the  church  made  during  Dr.  Cooper's  ministry. 
This   list   purports    to    have   been   copied   from 


94  THE    HISTORY    OF 

the  late  pastor's  interleaved  almanacs.  Tt  is 
some  apology  for  Dr.  Cooper's  neglect  of  the 
records,  that  the  above  period  of  his  ministry  was 
a  time  of  political  trouble,  agitation,  and  excite- 
ment ;  that  he  was  a  zealous  patriot  of  his  day, 
and  took  a  lively  interest  in  public  affairs.  Tt  is 
a  further  apology,  also,  and  the  real  excuse,  T 
imagine,  with  which  he  quieted  his  own  con- 
science, that  not  many  years  after  his  settlement, 
in  consequence  of  a  law  authorizing  the  collection 
of  funds  for  the  support  of  public  worship  by  a 
tax  upon  pews,  the  meetings  and  doings  of  the 
proprietors  began  to  be  recorded  in  a  separate 
volume.  From  these  records,  the  earlier  vol- 
umes of  which,  through  the  kindness  of  the  clerk 
of  the  proprietors,  I  have  been  permitted  to  ex- 
amine, we  can  gather  every  thing  of  interest 
affecting  the  temporal  affairs  and  success  or  pros- 
perity of  the  parish,  and  from  this  can  infer  some- 
thing as  to  its  spiritual  state. 

Of  the  events  affecting  the  interests  of  the 
parish  which  occurred  during  Dr.  Cooper's  min- 
istry, one  of  the  most  important,  undoubtedly, 
was  the  erection  of  this  house  of  worship,  which 
in  itself  is  a  monument  honorable  to  the  piety  of 
those  who  built  it,  an  evidence  of  their  zeal  for 
religion,  and  of  their  readiness  to  contribute  of 
their  substance  for  its  support.  The  old  church, 
originally   erected  by   the   undertakers   in    1699, 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  95 

was  built  of  wood.  It  bad  a  tower  and  bell  on 
tbe  west  end,  and  a  door  on  the  south  side,  op- 
posite to  which  was  the  pulpit.  The  pews  were 
square,  and  the  house  was  constructed  with  two 
galleries,  so  that,  though  a  smaller  building,  its 
general  plan  resembled  that  of  the  u  Old  South  " 
of  the  present  day.  Its  window-frames  were  of 
iron.  It  had  never  been  painted  inside  or  outside. 
It  had  been  considerably  enlarged  during  the 
ministry  of  Mr.  William  Cooper,  and  as  late 
as  1766,  additional  pews  were  constructed  to 
meet  the  wants  of  the  society.  It  had  now  been 
built  over  seventy  years,  and  withal  had  nothing 
very  pleasing  in  its  external  appearance  or  in- 
ternal accommodations,  and  nothing  very  striking 
connected  with  it,  unless  it  were  a  memorable 
hour-glass  for  the  pulpit,  which  is  said  to  have 
been  a  foot  high,  inclosed  in  a  gilded  or  brass 
frame.  The  records  say  that,  at  the  sale  of  the 
old  house,  this  hour-glass  "  was  reserved  for  the 
use  of  the  society,"  but  what  became  of  it  cannot 
be  ascertained. 

The  first  distinct  movement  towards  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  church  appears  from  the  records  to 
have  been  made  in  1772,  by  John  Hancock, 
through  a  letter  to  the  standing  committee,  in 
which  he  offered  to  contribute  largely  towards  the 
object,  if  the  congregation  would  determine  to 
build.      This  letter  was  dated  February  6th.     On 


96  THE    HISTORY    OF 

the  12th  of  that  month  the  parish  held  a  meet- 
ing, and  voted  unanimously  to  build  a  new  church, 
and  appointed  the  requisite  committee  to  decide 
upon  plans,  procure  subscriptions,  make  con- 
tracts, &c.  The  important  question,  then,  and 
the  only  one  whose  decision  affects  us  at  all  at 
the  present  day,  related  to  the  location.  Should 
the  new  church  be  erected  in  Brattle  Close, 
upon  the  site  of  the  old  one  ?  At  that  time  the 
society  did  not  own  on  this  spot  land  sufficient 
for  a  church  of  the  dimensions  required  and  con- 
templated. If  erected  here,  more  land  must  be 
purchased  to  enlarge  the  lot.  While  the  com- 
mittee were  making  investigations  upon  this  point, 
they  received  the  following  noble  letter  from  Mr. 
James  Bowdoin :  — 

''''To  the  Gentlemen  of  the  Committee  of  the  Soci- 
ety under  the  Pastoral   Care  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Cooper  :  — 
"  Gentlemen,  —  As    many  persons   of  our 
society,  as  well   as  others,    appear   desirous   that 
the  new  meeting-house  should   be  erected  on  the 
estate  belonging  to  me  fronting   Tremont    Street, 
and  it  being  desirable  that  the  peace  and  harmony 
at  present  subsisting  in  the  society  should  not  be 
interrupted  or  hazarded,  I  beg  leave  to  make  the 
following    proposal  ;    that  for  a  pew  in  the   new 
house,   and   in   lieu  of  my  subscription,  I  would 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  9? 

give  the  materials  of  the  building  now  on  the  said 
estate,  the  bricks  and  stones  of  which,  I  imagine, 
would  be  worth,  for  the  new  house,  two  hundred 
pounds  sterling  ;  and  with  respect  to  the  land, 
which  nothing  less  than  five  hundred  pounds 
sterling  would  purchase,  I  would  make  a  present 
of  it  to  the  society  for  building  the  new  house 
upon. 

14  This  proposal,  however,  as  I  wish  all  our 
proceedings  might  be  with  the  utmost  unanimity,  is 
on  condition  that  the  subscribers  and  the  society 
generally  agree  to  and  fully  acquiesce  with  it. 
Sincerely  wishing  the  happiness  of  the  society, 
I  am,  with  great  regard,  Gentlemen,  your  obedient 
servant, 

"  James  Bowdoin. 

"  Boston,  March  3d,  1772." 

This  proposal,  with  a  plan  of  the  land,  &c  , 
was  immediately  laid  before  the  society,  "  and 
after  considerable  debate  and  a  division  thereon, 
it  appeared  that  there  was  a  considerable  majority 
for  building  on  the  old  spot  in  Brattle  Street.'1 
So  Mr.  Bowdoin's  proposal  and  generous  gift 
were  rejected,  the  society  ordering,  that  his  "let- 
ter be  entered  upon  the  church  records,  where- 
by the  memory  of  it  may  be  transmitted  to  pos- 
terity in  honor  of  so  liberal  a  benefactor,"  —  and, 
we  may  now  add,  in  evidence  of  the  misjudgment 

7 


98  THE    HISTORY    OF 

of  those  who  rejected  its  proposal.  In  our  history 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  no  vole  has  been 
passed  so  unfortunate,  no  decision  made  so  un- 
wise, as  this.  The  site  offered  for  the  new  church 
was  one  of  the  most  eligible  that  could  have  been 
selected  in  the  whole  town,  the  estate  in  question 
forming  the  corner  of  Tremont  and  Howard 
Streets,  fronting  for  a  considerable  distance  upon 
both  of  them.  A  church  built  there  would  have 
been  on  high  ground,  with  an  open  space  all 
around  it.  It  would  have  been  upon  one  of  the 
public  streets,  yet  somewhat  back  from  it,  and 
easily  and  pleasantly  accessible  from  all  quarters. 
It  might  have  been  so  placed  as  to  exhibit  a  front 
view  for  some  distance  down  Hanover  Street, 
and  architecturally  have  been  a  conspicuous  or- 
nament to  the  city.  The  value  of  the  land  on 
which  the  old  church  stood,  and  the  cost  of  w7hat 
was  needed  to  enlarge  the  lot,  may  be  fairly  esti- 
mated at  one  third  or  one  half  the  sum  of  Mr. 
Bowdoin's  estimation  of  his  offer  ;  so  that,  in  re- 
jecting that  offer,  the  society  rejected  a  most 
eligible  site  for  their  church,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  a  diminution  of  about  five  thousand  dol- 
lars in  the  cost  of  its  construction.  The  decis- 
ion, therefore,  under  the  circumstances,  seems 
most  singular  and  unaccountable.  No  further 
light  is  thrown  upon  it  from  the  records.  No  ac- 
count is  given  of  the  debate,  nor  of  the  arguments 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  99 

offered,  to  lead  to  the  conclusion  of  the  majority. 
It  is  a  tradition  which  has  come  down  to  me  from 
several  sources,  that  the  vote  against  accepting 
Mr.  Bowdoin's  offer  was  carried  by  the  personal 
influence  of  John  Hancock,  who  was  in  favor  of 
rebuilding  upon  the  old  spot, — the  spot  chosen 
by  their  fathers,  and  now  for  so  many  years 
consecrated  to  the  worship  of  Almighty  God. 
Whether  made  by  Mr.  Hancock,  or  some  other 
person,  it  was  probably  some  such  appeal  to 
sympathies  and  associations  connected  with  the 
old  spot,  that  induced  the  parish  to  reject  an  offer 
so  manifestly  favorable  as  that  made  by  Mr.  Bow- 
doin.  It  is  not  surprising  that  such  an  appeal 
should  have  prevailed. 

But  by  whatever  influence  it  was  done,  Mr. 
Bowdoin's  offer  was  rejected,  and  the  parish  de- 
termined to  build  upon  the  old  spot.  The  plan 
being  determined  upon,  and  the  contracts  made, 
the  society,  having  been  previously  invited  to 
worship,  while  their  house  was  building,  with  the 
First  Church,  assembled  for  the  last  time  in  the 
old  church  on  the  10th  of  May,  1772. 

"  The  building  of  churches,"  says  Dr.  Pal- 
frey, in  his  notes,  "was  a  less  simple  operation 
in  those  times  than  the  present.  This  was  en- 
gaged in  as  a  very  serious  enterprise."  He  then 
gives  the  following  particulars  in  relation  to  its 
erection. 


100  THE    HISTORY    OF 

"  The  old  house  was  taken  down,  and  the 
ground  cleared,  between  May  14th  and  18th. 
Mr.  Copely  and  Major  Dawes  presented  plans 
for  the  new  building.  The  former  was  rejected 
on  account  of  the  expense.  The  latter  was 
adopted.  June  23d,  the  corner  stone  was  laid 
by  Major  Thomas  Dawes,  the  architect,  in  the 
foundation  at  the  southwest  corner  of  the  house, 
having  this  inscription, 

"  June  23d, 
1772. 
S.  Cooper,  D.  D., 
Minister. 
The  day  after  laying  the  corner-stone,  some  of 
the  committee,  taking  into  consideration  what  was 
proper  to  be  done  with  a  stone  taken  out  of  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  original  building,  having 
the  inscription  Benjamin  Walker  thereon,  ordered 
the  figures   1699  to  be  added  thereto,  being  the 
year  that  the  first  meeting-house  in  Brattle  Street 
was  founded,  and  then  the  stone  was  laid  in  the 
foundation   of  the  southeast  corner   of   the    new 
house.     The  name  of  the  Hon.  John  Hancock, 
Esq.,  was  inscribed  on  one  of  the  rustic  quoins 
[of  Connecticut  stone]  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  new  building. 

"  While  the  house  was  erecting,  the  building 
committee  had  their  office  in  the  southeast  cham- 
ber of  the  house  in  Brattle  Square,  then  occupied 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  101 

by  Mrs.  Turell.  By  the  autumn  they  had  ex- 
hausted their  funds,  and  were  largely  in  debt.  A 
subscription  for  pews  was  accordingly  opened, 
each  subscriber  advancing  not  less  than  £  30. 
The  house  cost  ,£8,000.  The  most  valuable 
pews  were  appraised  at  £  50.  When  it  was  oc- 
cupied several  remained  unsold,  and  there  was 
still  a  debt  of  £750  to  the  mechanics,  which  was 
not  paid  off  till  the  ministry  of  Dr.  Thacher. 
There  were  seventy-five  '  free  gift  '  sub- 
scribers. The  most  liberal  subscriptions  were 
those  of  Governor  Hancock  and  Governor  Bow- 
doin.  The  latter  gave  £200.  The  former  gave 
£  1,000,  reserving  to  himself  '  the  particular  dis- 
position of  the  sum  and  the  beginning  and  com- 
pleting a  mahogany  pulpit,  with  its  full  furniture, 
a  mahogany  deacon's  seat  and  communion  table, 
under  his  own  direction,  and  the  providing  for  the 
accommodation  of  poor  widows  and  others  be- 
longing to  the  society,  who  are  reputable  persons 
and  unable  to  furnish  themselves  with  seats,  &c.' 
In  addition  to  this  he  gave  a  bell.  A  temporary 
pine  pulpit  was  first  erected,  that  which  was  en- 
gaged by  him  of  Mr.  Crafts  not  being  finished 
when  the  house  was  occupied. 

"  Some  approximation  to  an  estimate  of  the 
size  of  the  society,  at  this  period,  may  be  made 
from  the  circumstance,  that  eighty-one  voters  are 
recorded  by  name  to  have  been  present  at  a  meet- 


102  THE    HISTORY    OF 

ing  in  1773,  and  it  is  added  that  there  were  sev- 
eral others." 

The  society  met  for  the  first  time  in  this  build- 
ing on  the  25th  of  July,  1773.  But  they  were 
not  long  permitted  to  enjoy  it  unmolested,  and 
worship  in  it  in  peace  and  quietness.  The 
troubles  of  the  Revolution  came  on.  The  con- 
gregational clergy  were  to  a  man  full  of  the  fire 
of  patriotism,  and  strenuous  supporters  of  the 
cause  of  the  Colonies.  No  class  of  citizens 
were  more  deeply  interested  or  more  efficient. 
By  their  prayers,  their  sermons,  their  conversa- 
tion, their  influence,  and  their  example,  they 
endeavored  to  the  utmost  to  sustain  the  courage 
and  firmness  of  the  people,  to  uphold  the  cause 
of  liberty,  and  secure  the  deliverance  of  their 
country.  In  efforts  of  this  kind  Dr.  Cooper 
had  been  conspicuous,  and  had  thereby  rendered 
himself  obnoxious  to  the  Provincial  authorities 
and  to  the  soldiers  quartered  in  the  town. 

"On  the  16th  of  April,  1775,"  writes  Dr. 
Cooper,  in  a  journal,  some  fragments  of  which 
have  been  preserved  and  which  I  have  been  per- 
mitted to  see,  cc  the  troubles  in  Boston  increas- 
ing, and  having  received  several  menaces  and  in- 
sults, particularly  at  Mrs.  Davis's  from  an  officer, 
I  left  Boston  by  the  advice  of  friends,  and  came 
with  my  wife  to  Mr.  Savage's,  at  Weston,  design- 
ing to  ride  in  the  country  for  the  recruiting  of  my 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  103 

health,  and  to  return  to  Boston  in  a  few  weeks, 
where  I  left  my  dear  child,  all  my  plate,  books, 
furniture,  and  so  forth."  He  made  Weston  his 
head-quarters  for  several  days,  riding  about  on 
horseback  to  the  neighboring  towns.  He  was  at 
Lexington,  and  dined  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Clarke, 
the  minister,  in  company  with  Mrs.  Hancock, 
the  day  before  the  battle.  Immediately  after  that 
event,  Boston  was  shut  up  and  besieged  by  the 
Colonial  troops,  and  Dr.  Cooper  did  not  return 
till  after  the  evacuation,  March  17th,  1776.  I 
have  been  unable  to  learn  where  he  passed  this 
period.  The  minister  absent,  and  most  of  the 
congregation  dispersed,  religious  services  were 
not  regularly  held  after  the  16th  of  April,  1775, 
though  they  were  occasionally  held  during  the 
summer. 

In  a  journal  of  Timothy  Newell,  deacon  of  this 
church,  covering  the  period  of  the  siege,  the 
original,  or  a  copy  of  which,  now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  our  fellow-worshipper,  Stephen  P.  Fuller, 
I  have  been  permitted  to  examine,  we  find  notices 
of  several  events  of  interest  to  us,  which  occur- 
red at  that  time. 

On  the  15th  of  September,  1775,  General  Gage 
gave  leave  to  a  Scotch  clergyman,  whose  char- 
acter was  in  no  very  good  repute,  to  preach  in  the 
town  on  the  next  Sunday.  Application  was 
accordingly  made  to  Deacon  Newell  for  the  use 


104  THE    HISTORY    OF 

of  Dr.  Cooper's  church  for  the  service.  For 
the  accommodation  of  the  few  worshippers  of 
Brattle  Street  Church  remaining  in  town,  ar- 
rangements had  been  made  for  Dr.  Eliot  to 
preach  there  the  next  Sunday.  Deacon  New- 
ell, therefore,  declined  to  accede  to  the  re- 
quest, or  rather  the  demand,  and  refused  to 
deliver  the  keys  of  the  church  to  the  applicants, 
who  had  an  order  from  General  Gates  to  that  ef- 
fect. He  waited  upon  the  General  and  expostu- 
lated with  him  on  the  subject.  He  insisted  that 
the  man  proposed  was  of  infamous  character, 
and  that  it  was  an  insult  to  the  society  to  ask  for 
the  church  for  his  use,  and  urged  him  to  with- 
draw the  order  he  had  given.  General  Gage  prom- 
ised to  reconsider  the  matter  ;  but  in  twenty 
minutes  after  Deacon  Newell  withdrew  he  was 
waited  upon  by  the  provost,  with  a  peremptory 
order  for  him  to  deliver  the  key  immediately, 
which  he  accordingly  did.* 

*  In  the  journal  alluded  to,  Deacon  Newell  gives  the  follow- 
ing full  account  of  this  matter. 

"14th  September,  1775.  Messrs.  Auchinclosh,  Morrison, 
and  another  person  came  to  me,  as  three  Scotchmen  had  been 
before.  They  showed  me  a  paper  directed  to  me,  setting 
forth,  that  the  Rev.  Mr. was  permitted,  by  his  Ex- 
cellency Gen.  Gage,  to  preach,  and  desired  he  may  have  the 
use  of  Dr.   Cooper's   meeting-house,  signed   by  about   thirty 

Scotchmen  and  others,  viz etc.     I  desired  they  would 

leave  the  paper  for  my  consideration.  They  did  not  choose 
I  should  keep  it,  and  began  to  urge  their   having  the   house. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  105 

On  the    13th  of  October,    the   house    was    in- 
spected by  Colonel  Birch,  with  a  view  to  make  it 

For  answer,  I  told  them,  I  looked  upon  it  a  high  insult  to 
that  society,  their  proposing  it,  and  turned  my  back  upon 
them  and  so  left  them. 

a  P.  M.  Messrs.  Black,  Dixon,  and  Hunter  came  and  told 
me  his  Excellency  the  General  had  consented  they  should 
have  our  meeting-house,  and  desired  I  would  deliver  them 
the  key.  I  told  them,  when  I  see  such  an  order  I  should 
know  how  to  proceed.  One  said  to  me.  So,  you  refuse  to 
deliver  the  key?  I  answered,  with  an  emotion  of  resent- 
ment, Yes,  I  do. 

"  15th.  As  I  was  attending  a  funeral,  the  provost,  Mr. 
Cunningham,  came  to  me,  and  told  me  it  was  his  Excel- 
lency, the  General's  command  I  should  immediately  deliver 
him  the  key  of  Dr.  Cooper's  meeting-house;  I  replied,  I 
must  see  the  Governor.  He  told  me  he  would  not  see  me 
till  I  had  delivered  the  key.  He  left  me  in  a  great  rage,  and 
swore  he  would  immediately  go  and  break  open  the  doors. 
I  left  the  funeral,  and  proceeded  to  the  Governor's,  calling 
upon  Capt.  Erving  to  go  with  me.  He  excused  himself, 
and  so  I  went  alone.  The  Governor  received  me  civilly. 
I  addressed  myself  to  him,  and  most  earnestly  entreated  him, 
that  he  would  be  pleased  to  withdraw  his  order,  urging  that 
Dr.  Eliot,  in  order  to  accommodate  our  people,  was  to  preach 
in  said  meeting-house  the  next  Sabbath,  or  the  Sabbath  after, 
and  that  the  person  they  proposed  was  a  man  of  infamous 
character,  which  had  it  been  otherwise,  I  should  not  oppose 
it,  etc.,  and  I  desired  his  Excellency  would  consider  of  it. 
He  told  me  he  would,  and  that  I  might  keep  the  key,  and 
if  he  sent  for  it,  he  expected  that  I  would  deliver  it.  So 
left  him.  I  had  not  been,  I  believe,  twenty  minutes  from  him, 
before  the  provost  came,  with  a  written  order  to  deliver  the 
key  immediately,  which  I  did  accordingly.  When  I  first 
urged  the  Governor  to  excuse  my  delivering  the  key,  for  the 
reasons  given,  he  replied,  that  a  number  of  creditable  persons 


106  THE    HISTORY    OF 

a  riding-school  for  dragoons,  but  this  design  was 
abandoned    when    it    was   found   that   the   pillars 

had  applied  to  him,  and  he  saw  no  reason  why  that  house 
should  not  be  made  use  of  as  well  as  any  other.  Gen. 
Robinson  (when  I  mentioned  the  preacher  being  of  an  in- 
famous character)  said  he  knew  no  harm  of  the  man  ;  but 
this  he  knew,  that  he  had  left  a  very  bad  service,  and  taken 
up  with  a  good  one. 

"  The  next  day  the  provost  came  to  my  shop.  I  not  being 
there,  he  left  word,  that  he  came  for  the  apparatus  of  the 
pulpit,  supposing  the  curtains  and  cushions  were  there.  The 
provost,  the  same  day,  came  again.  I  chose  not  to  be  there. 
He  left  orders  to  send  him  the  aforesaid,  and  swore  most 
bitterly,  that  if  I  did  not  send  them  he  would  split  the  door 
open;  and  accordingly  I  hear  the  same  was  forced  open; 
and  that  if  Dr.  Cooper  and  Dr  Warren  were  there,  he  would 
break  their  heads,  and  would  drag  me  in  the  gutter,  etc. 

"This  being  Saturday  afternoon,  I  chose  not  to  be  seen. 
Spent  the  evening  at  Major  Phillip's;  consulted  with  a  few 
friends,  advised  still  to  be  as  much  out  of  the  way  as  possible. 
Dr.  Eliot  invited  me  to  come  very  early  in  the  morning, 
(being  Lord's  day,)  and  breakfast  with  him,  and  also  dine  ; 
which  I  did  and  returned  home  after  nine  at  night;  found  a 
6ergeant  with  a  letter  had  been  twice  at  the  house  for  me. 
Thus  ends  a  Sabbath,  which,  exclusive  of  the  insults  and 
perplexities  before  mentioned,  has  been  a  good  day  to  me. 

"  P.  S.  Capt.  Erving  and  myself,  being  the  only  persons  of 
the  Committee  remaining  in  town,  I  acquainted  him  of  the 
demand  of  the  General,  who  advised  me,  that,  if  the  Gen- 
eral insisted  on  the  delivery  of  the  key,  to  deliver  the  same. 
The  next  week  several  of  our  parish  thought  proper  to  peti- 
tion the  General.  I  advised  with  Foster  Hutchinson,  Esq., 
who  thought  it  very  proper,  and  accordingly,  at  my  desire, 
he  drew  a  petition,  but  upon  further  consideration,  and  hear- 
ing of  the  opinion  of  the  General,  he  thought  it  best  not 
to  present  it." 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  107 

could  not  be  removed  without  letting  down  the 
roof.  "  So  the  pillars  saved  us,"  writes  Deacon 
Newell  in  his  journal.  But  the  escape  of  the 
church  from  desecration  was  only  temporary. 
On  the  27th  of  October,  says  the  journal  just 
quoted,  "  the  Old  South  was  taken  possession 
of  for  a  riding-school  and  our  church  for  a  bar- 
racks." Messrs.  Gove  and  Newell,  the  deacons, 
were  permitted  to  take  down  the  pews  and  case 
up  the  pulpit  and  the  columns.  It  was  thus 
occupied  as  a  barrack  during  the  remainder  of 
the  siege.  This  desecration  of  the  churches 
of  Boston  was  a  wanton  and  unnecessary  outrage. 
It  is  some  evidence  of  progress  even  in  the  con- 
duct of  war,  that  except  on  the  most  compulsory 
necessity  such  a  thing  would  not  be  done  now. 
Had  our  army,  in  their  recent  possession  of  Mex- 
ico, pursued  the  same  course  in  regard  to  the 
churches  of  that  city,  every  newspaper  published 
in  the  English  tongue  would  have  rung  with 
strong  condemnation  of  the  sacrilege.  General 
Gage's  head-quarters  were  opposite  the  church. 
He  told  his  neighbor  and  our  parishioner,  Mr. 
Turell,  that  he  had  no  fear  for  his  troops  while 
they  were  within  such  walls.  The  cannon-ball, 
which  is  now  to  be  seen  over  the  front  door, 
struck  the  tower  at  that  point,  on  the  night  before 
the  evacuation.  It  knocked  out  a  (ew  bricks 
and   fell  to   the  ground,  was  picked  up  by  Mr. 


108  THE    HISTORY    OF 

Turell,  and  preserved  by  the  family.  When  the 
church  was  repaired,  in  1825,  it  was  inserted, 
by  order  of  the  Standing  Committee,  in  the  spot 
where    it   struck. 

The  British  troops  left  the  church  in  such 
a  filthy  and  defaced  condition,  that  the  work  of 
cleaning,  repairing,  and  replacing  the  pews  oc- 
cupied several  weeks.  Mr.  Bowdoin  advanced 
the  money  for  this,  and  subsequently  a  special 
tax  of  eighteen  shillings  on  each  pew  was  levied 
to  meet  the  expense.  The  house  was  first  opened 
for  public  worship,  after  the  evacuation,  on  the 
19th  of  May.*     The  services  of  that  day  must 

*  The  last  days  of  the  siege  are  thus  noticed  in  Deacon 
Newell's  journal. 

"March  12th.  This  day  and  night  quiet.  The  soldiers 
shut  up  in  their  barracks,  except  some  who  are  about  plunder- 
ing. The  wind  high  at  northwest ;  the  inhabitants  greatly 
distressed  through  fear  that  the  town  would  be  set  on  fire  by 
the  soldiers. 

"13th.  Wednesday.  The  inhabitants  in  the  utmost  dis- 
tress thro'  fear  of  the  town  being  destroyed  by  the  soldiery. 
A  party  of  New  York  carpenters  with  their  axes  going  through 
the  town  breaking  open  houses,  etc.  Soldiers  and  sailors 
plundering  houses,  ships,  warehouses,  etc.  One  person  suf- 
fered four  thousand  pounds  sterling  by  his  shipping  being 
cut  to  pieces,  etc.  Another  five  thousand  do.,  by  salt  wan- 
tonly thrown  into  the  river. 

"  14th.  Thursday.  The  same  as  above,  except  somewhat 
restrained  by  the  General. 

"15th.  Friday.  The  General  sent  to  the  selectmen  and 
desired  their  immediate  attendance,  which  we  did  accord- 
ingly.    It  was  to  acquaint  us  that,  as  he  was  about  retreating 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  109 

have  been  deeply  interesting  to  the  regathered 
flock  and  pastor,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  regret  that 
we  have  no  account  of  it  in  the  records. 

from  the  town,  his  advice  was  for  all  the  inhabitants  to  keep 
in  their  houses,  and  tho'  his  orders  were  to  injure  no  one,  he 
could  not  be  answerable  for  the  irregularities  of  his  troops. 
The  General  told  us  that  the  Fury  man-of-war  would  con- 
tinue in  the  harbor  till  the  fleet  sailed,  loaded  with  carcases 
and  combustibles,  that  in  case  the  king's  troops  met  with  any 
obstruction  in  their  retreat,  he  should  set  fire  to  the  town, 
which  he  wished  to  avoid.  That  he  thought  it  his  duty  to 
destroy  much  of  the  property  in  the  town,  to  prevent  its 
being  useful  to  the  support  of  the  rebel  army.  The  General 
further  said  to  us,  that  whoever  had  suffered  in  this  respect 
(who  were  not  rebels)  it  was  probable  that  on  application  to 
the  government  they  would  be  considered.  That  letters  had 
passed  between  him  and  Mr.  Washington.  That  however 
insignificant  the  character"  (title  ?)  "  of  his  Excellency, 
which  to  him  was  very  trifling,  it  ought  not  to  be  given  to 
any  but  by  the  authority  of  the  king.  He  observed  the  direc- 
tion of  our  letter  to  him  was  His  Excellency,  General  Wash- 
ington, which  he  did  not  approve  ;  nor  of  whatever  intelli- 
gence had  been  given  to  the  rebels,  though  in  his  letters  to 
him  he  did  not  charge  him  with  being  a  rebel.  He  further 
said,  he  had  nothing  against  the  selectmen,  which  if  he  had, 
he  should  certainly  have  taken  notice  of  it.  The  General 
told  us  that  the  troops  would  embark  this  day, — was  told  by 
General  Robinson  it  would  be  about  three  o'clock.  The  regi- 
ments all  mustered,  some  of  them  marched  down  the  wharf. 
Guards  and  chevauz-de-frisc  were  placed  in  the  main  streets 
and  wharves,  in  order  to  secure  the  retreat  of  the  out  sentries. 
Several  of  the  principal  streets  through  which  they  were  to 
pass  were  filled  with  hogsheads,  etc.,  large  limbs  of  trees  from 
the  Mall,  to  prevent  a  pursuit  of  the  Continental  army.  They 
manifestly  appeared  to  be  fearful  of  an  attack.  The  wind 
proved  unfavorable  and  prevented  their  embarking.     They 


110  THE    HISTORY    OF 

Not  long  after  this,  in  November,  1778,  by  the 
will  of  Lydia  Hancock,  the  society  came  into 
possession  of  the  house  in  Court  Street,  which 
has  since  been  occupied  as  a  parsonage  by  their 
successive  ministers.  As  the  conditions  of  this 
bequest  are  often  asked  about,  and  are  likely  to 
be  more  and  more  canvassed,  as  the  unsuitable- 
ness  of  the  spot  for  a  clerical  residence  becomes 
more  and  more  manifest,  I  give  them  in  the  words 
of  the  will,  which  are,  —  "I  give  and  bequeathe 
unto  Messrs.  Timothy  Newell,  Isaac  Smith,  and 
Ebenezer  Storer,  present  deacons  of  the  church 
in  Brattle  Street  in  Boston,  whereof  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Samuel  Cooper  is  minister,  and  to  their  suc- 
cessors in  that  office,  all  that  brick  dwelling-house 
and  land  situated  in  Queen  Street,  lately  im- 
proved by  my  honored  father,  Daniel  Henchman, 
Esq.,  as  his  mansion-house,  to  hold  the  same  at 
and  immediately  upon  the  decease  of  my  said 
mother,  unto  the  said  Timothy  Newell,  Isaac 
Smith,  and  Ebenezer  Storer,  and  to  the  deacons 

returned  to  their  quarters.  Soon  after,  several  houses  were  on 
fire.     The  night  passed  off  tolerably  quiet. 

"  16th.  Saturday.  Rain;  great  distress,  plundering,  etc.,  etc. 

"  17th.  Lord's  day.  This  morning  at  three  o'clock,  the  troops 
began  to  move.  Guards,  chevaux-de-frise,  crow  feet,  strewed 
in  the  streets  to  prevent  being  pursued.  They  were  all  em- 
barked about  nine  o'clock,  and  the  whole  fleet  came  to  sail. 
Every  vessel  they  did  not  carry  off,  they  rendered  unfit  for 
use.     Not  even  a  boat  left." 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  Ill 

of  the  said  church  for  the  time  being,  for  ever, 
upon  this  express  condition  and  limitation,  that  is 
to  say,  that  the  minister  or  eldest  minister  of  said 
church  shall  constantly  reside  and  dwell  in  said 
house,  during  such  time  as  he  is  minister  of  said 
church  ;  and  in  case  the  same  is  not  improved 
for  this  use  only,  I  then  declare  this  bequest  to  be 
void,  and  of  no  force,  and  order  that  said  house 
and  land  then  revert  to  my  estate,  and  I  give  the 
same  to  my  nephew,  John  Hancock,  Esq.,  and 
to  his  heirs  for  ever."  By  the  same  will  the 
church  also  received  a  bequest  of  one  hundred 
pounds,  the  income  to  be  annually  appropriated 
to  the  relief  of  the  poor.  The  church  voted, 
u  That  this  society  receives  these  pious,  charita- 
ble, and  generous  bequests  with  great  respect 
and  gratitude  to  the  memory  of  that  excellent 
woman,  Madam  Lydia  Hancock,  who  was  for 
many  years  a  member  of  the  church  in  Brattle 
Street,  an  ornament  to  the  Christian  profession, 
and  an  amiable  pattern  of  piety  and  virtue." 

Worthy  was  she,  undoubtedly,  to  have  this 
said  of  her,  and  her  memory  should  be  cherished 
by  us  with  reverence  and  gratitude.  Her  inten- 
tions, so  far  as  we  and  all  who  have  preceded 
and  all  who  may  come  after  us,  since  her  time, 
are  concerned,  was  generous  and  noble.  The 
estate  in  Court  Street  was  a  splendid  gift  for  the 
use  of  the  pastor  of  the  church,  and  no   clergy- 


112  THE    HISTORY    OF 

man  of  the  town  was  housed  in  such  comfort  and 
style  as  Dr.  Cooper,  when  he  first  moved  into  it. 
It  is,  however,  to  be  regretted,  that  her  lawyer 
was  not  wise  enough  to  remind  her,  that  a  per- 
petual entail  of  real  estate  for  special  uses,  in  a 
town  destined  to  grow  and  expand,  was  likely  in 
the  end  to  become  a  public  nuisance,  and  convert 
what  was   meant  for  a  charity  into  an  inconven- 

m 

ience,  if  not  an  imposition.  The  intention  of  Lydia 
Hancock  is  clear.  She  meant  that  the  deacons 
of  Brattle  Street  Church  should  always  have  and 
hold  in  their  possession  for  ever,  in  trust  for  the 
use  of  the  minister,  a  suitable,  convenient,  agree- 
able, and  proper  place  of  residence.  She  meant 
to  deprive  them  of  the  power  to  convert  this 
residence  to  other  uses,  or  to  turn  it  over  to  the 
parish  for  them  to  make  it  a  source  of  income  ; 
and  for  this  purpose,  and,  so  far  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained, this  purpose  only,  attached  the  penalty  of 
forfeiture  to  the  condition,  that  the  minister  should 
reside  in  the  house.  Through  no  fault  of  the 
trustees  of  the  parish,  or  of  the  occupant  of  the 
house,  her  intention  has  wellnigh  failed,  and  will 
fail  more  and  more  as  time  rolls  on  and  the  city- 
changes.  I  cannot  but  think  that  there  is,  I  am 
sure  that  there  ought  to  be,  somewhere  in  the 
community,  some  remedy,  —  some  power  that  can 
so  interpret  the  instrument,  the  will,  as  to  prevent 
a  forfeiture,  which  was  never  expected  nor  de- 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  113 

sired,  from  causes  which  were  never  anticipated, 
and  therefore  not  guarded  against  ;  and  so  inter- 
pret it  also,  without  injustice  to  any  parties  living, 
and  with  great  justice  to  the  memory  of  the  dead, 
as  to  permit  an  intention  clear,  manifest,  and  per- 
petually charitable,  to  be  carried  out  fully,  faith- 
fully, and  for  ever. 

These  are  all  the  events  of  moment  directly  af- 
fecting the  external  interests  of  the  parish,  that 
occurred  during  Dr.  Cooper's  ministry.  Tt  is 
common  to  represent  the  period  embraced  by  his 
ministry,  and  extending  somewhat  beyond  it, —  the 
last  half  of  the  last  century,  —  as  a  lime  of  spiritual 
declension  throughout  the  country.  I  find  it  so 
spoken  of  in  nearly  all  the  pamphlets  and  docu- 
ments that  I  have  had  occasion  or  opportunity  to 
examine.  ;  Complaints  are  made  of  the  decay  of 
vital  piety,  of  a  want  of  zealous  personal  interest 
in  religion,  of  the  creeping  in  among  ministers  and 
congregations  of  Arian  and  Arminian  sentiments, 
of  a  general  laxity  of  faith  and  practice.  So 
general  are  these  complaints,  that  I  suppose  we 
must  admit  that  there  was  some  foundation  for 
them.  The  old  French  war,  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  and  all  the  political  excitements, 
troubles,  and  momentous  events  of  the  times, 
undoubtedly  had  a  tendency  to  engross  the  minds 
of  men,  and  withdraw  their  attention,  if  not  from 
religion   as  the  controlling  rule  of  life,   at  least 

8 


114  THE    HISTORY    OF 

from  much  interest  in  its  administration,  and  the 
questions  about  its  forms  and  the  disputes  about 
doctrines,  which  the  clergy  might  agitate.  I  can- 
not but  think,  however,  that  there  was  something 
of  the  power  of  religion,  —  a  large  measure  of 
religious  faith  and  principle,  of  the  spirit  of  self- 
sacrifice  and  of  obedience  to  high  convictions  of 
duty,  in  the  generation  that  carried  the  country 
through  the  struggles  of  the  Revolution.  I  am 
not  disposed  to  admit  that  that  struggle  was  suc- 
cessfully achieved  by  a  generation  of  men,  spirit- 
ually dead,  whose  hearts  were  destitute  of  the 
higher  incentives  of  religious  faith. 

So  far  as  our  own  society  is  concerned,  I  in- 
cline to  the  opinion,  that,  with  the  exception  of 
the  period  when  it  was  scattered  abroad  during 
the  siege,  it  was  generally  in  a  good  spiritual  con- 
dition. There  was  no  unusual  deadness.  The 
list  of  baptisms  and  of  additions  to  the  church, 
imperfect  as  it  probably  is,  shows  that  the  ordi- 
nances were  by  no  means  disregarded.  This 
edifice,  this  splendid  temple,  erected  for  the 
worship  of  Almighty  God,  which,  if  it  have 
rivals,  has  not  been  surpassed  by  any  thing  that 
has  since  been  built  in  the  town,  —  this  costly, 
solemn,  and  substantial  church,  which,  if  it  be  left 
untouched  by  the  hand  of  man,  will  bid  defiance 
for  centuries  to  the  hand  of  time,  —  this  could  not 
have  been  built  by  a  society  spiritually  dead,  un- 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  115 

der  a  ministry  cold,  lax,  lifeless,  inefficient.  It 
may  be  true,  that  the  men  who  gathered  here  Sun- 
day after  Sunday,  with  the  pastor  who  led  in  their 
devotions,  were  all  men  deeply  interested  and 
largely  concerned  in  public  affairs,  taking  a  zeal- 
ous and  active  part  as  patriots  in  the  great  con- 
test in  which  their  country  was  engaged  ;  but  it  is 
also  true,  that  /iere,  in  this  house  and  these  ser- 
vices, their  patriotism  gathered  inspiration,  and 
received  the  spirit  and  principles  that  guided  its 
action.  This  temple,  which  is  a  conclusive  and 
satisfactory  evidence  of  the  strength,  the  wealth, 
and  resources  of  the  parish,  is  also  an  evidence, 
equally  conclusive  and  satisfactory,  of  the  spirit 
and  power  of  the  faith  which  could  direct  that 
wealth  and  strength  to  noble  and  godly  uses. 

Dr.  Cooper,  who  had  been  for  some  time  in 
feeble  health,  died  suddenly,  on  the  29th  of  De- 
cember, 1783,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight.  His 
funeral  was  attended  with  every  show  of  solemni- 
ty and  sorrow  that  the  times  authorized,  and  both 
by  the  parish  and  by  the  public  generally  many 
marks  of  affection  and  respect  were  manifested  to 
his  memory.  The  funeral  sermon,  preached  by 
Dr.  Clarke  of  the  First  Church,  was  published, 
together  with  several  obituary  notices  which  ap- 
peared in  the  newspapers  of  the  day.  These 
speak  in  the  strongest  terms  of  his  public  services 
and  his  private  virtues,  of  his  rare  gifts  and  graces 


116  THE    HISTORY    OF 

as  a  patriot,  a  gentleman,  a  scholar,  and  a  Chris- 
tian divine.  One  or  two  passages  from  Dr. 
Clarke's  sermon  will  give  some  idea  of  the  esti- 
mation in  which  he  w7as  held  by  his  contempo- 
raries. 

"Justly,"  he  says,  "should  I  incur  the  cen- 
sure of  his  friends,  and  greatly  should  I  injure  the 
memory  of  Dr.  Cooper,  should  I  not  say,  he 
was  a  peculiar  ornament  to  this  religious  society. 
His  talents  as  a  minister  were  conspicuous  to  all ; 
and  they  have  met  with  universal  applause.  You 
know  with  what  plainness,  and  at  the  same  time 
with  what  elegance,  he  displayed  the  grace  of  the 
Gospel.  You  know  with  what  brilliancy  of  style 
he  adorned  the  moral  virtues,  and  how  power- 
fully he  recommended  them  to  universal  practice. 
When  the  joys  of  a  better  world  employed  his 
discourse,  can  you  ever  forget  the  elevated  strains 
in  which  he  described  them  ?  And  his  prayers, 
—  surely  they  must  be  remembered,  when  his 
qualifications  for  the  other  duties  of  his  office  and 
his  many  shining  accomplishments  are  forgotten. 
If  those  who  constantly  attended  upon  his  mints- 
try  are  not  warmed  with  the  love  of  virtue  ;  if 
they  are  not  charmed  with  the  beauty  of  holiness, 
if  they  are  not  transported  with  the  free  grace  of 
the  Gospel,  must  they  not  blame  their  own  insen- 
sibility ?  Remember,  therefore,  how  you  have 
seen,  and  heard,  and  hold  fast,  and  repent." 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  117 

Again  he  says,  —  "  The  people  of  his  charge 
are  not  the  only  persons  who  mourn  this  event. 
The  death  of  their  honorable  pastor  is  a  general 
calamity.  It  is  severely  felt  by  all  our  societies  ; 
and  by  that,  in  a  particular  manner,  which  has 
been  so  long  united  with  this  church  in  a  stated 
lecture.  It  is  felt  by  this  town,  which  gloried  in 
him  no  less  as  a  citizen  than  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel.  It  is  felt  by  the  University  to  whose 
honor  and  interests  he  was  passionately  devoted. 
His  death  will  be  lamented  by  this  Com- 
monwealth, and  most  sincerely  by  some  of  the 
first  characters  in  it ;  for  with  them  he  was  inti- 
mately connected,  and  they  distinguished  him  by 
every  public  token  of  respect.  In  one  word,  his 
death  will  be  a  common  loss  to  these  American 
States  ;  for  as  a  patriot  he  was  no  less  cele- 
brated than  as  a  divine.'' 

An  obituary  notice,  written  probably  by  Gov- 
ernor Sullivan,  speaks  of  his  character  and  ser- 
vices in  equally  strong  terms  of  eulogy.  From 
this  obituary  we  learn  that  his  illness  was  of 
a  nature  which  precluded  much  conversation. 
When  he  could  speak,  he  expressed  his  perfect 
submission  to  the  will  of  God,  said  "that  his 
hopes  and  consolations  sprang  from  a  belief  of 
those  evangelical  truths  which  he  had  preached  to 
others,"  and  u  declared  his  great  satisfaction  in 
seeing  his  country  in  peace,  and  possessed  of 
freedom  and  independence." 


118  THE    HISTORY    OF 

Unquestionably,  it  would  seem,  from  all  that  can 
be  learned  of  Dr.  Cooper,  that  he  possessed  in  a 
high  degree  a  rare  combination  of  those  qualities 
which  make  a  man  eminently  popular  and  useful 
in  his  day.     In  personal  appearance  he  was  un- 
commonly  dignified  and    pleasing.     He  had  "  a 
most  melodious  voice,"  and  a  natural  ease,  grace, 
and  fluency  both   in  speaking  and  writing.     To 
great  acuteness  and  versatility  of  mind,  he  added 
a    capacity    of  severe    and    patient    application. 
Coming  upon  the  stage  at  a  time  when  it  had  not 
ceased  to  be  admitted  that  the  clerical  office  gave 
a  right  and   an  opportunity  to   its   incumbent  to 
mingle  largely  in  public   affairs,  and   exert  what 
influence    he   could   in   their  direction,  and  at  a 
time,  also,  when  the  emergencies  of  these  affairs 
naturally   called  forth  all  the  energies  and    awa- 
kened all  the  interest  that  any  one  could  put  into 
them,  or  feel  in  them,  he  became  one  of  the  most 
prominent  public  men  of  his  day,  and,  as  the  inti- 
mate and  confidential  friend  of  some  of  the  lead- 
ing patriots  of  the  Revolution,  exerted  an  influ- 
ence which  can  now  hardly  be   estimated   or  un- 
derstood.     "  It  was  to   him,"    says    Dr.    Pal- 
frey,   "that  the   famous   letters    of    Hutchinson 
were    transmitted,   which  kindled    such    a   flame 
against  the   English    ministry   and    their   govern- 
ment ;    and  among  the   writings   that  alternately 
stimulated  and  checked  the  public  mind,  in  that 


BRATTLE    STREET    CHURCH.  119 

season  of  stormy  excitement,  there  were  perhaps 
none  of  greater  efficiency  than  those  of  Dr. 
Cooper.  If  other  hands  launched  the  lightning, 
his  guided  the  cloud."  As  had  been  the  case 
with  his  two  predecessors,  Dr.  Cooper  was 
chosen  President  of  the  College,  and  his  election 
was  approved  by  the  Board  of  Overseers,  at  a 
meeting  held  February  10th,  1774.  Before  the 
meeting  was  dissolved,  a  note  was  received  from 
him,  declining  to  engage  in  the  duties  of  the  sta- 
tion to  which  he  had  been  invited. 

But  though  thus  prominent  and  active  as  a  public 
man,  he  was  not  negligent  or  faithless  as  a  Christian 
minister  ;  at  least  I  can  find  no  trace  of  any  re- 
proach of  this  sort.*     In  the  eyes  of  his  contem- 

*  All  that  I  have  ever  seen  which  by  implication  could  be 
construed  as  sustaining  the  contrary  of  what  is  here  ex- 
pressed, is  the  following  amusing  anecdote,  which  may  be 
found  in  Tudor's  Life  of  James  Otis. 

"  Dr.  Cooper,  who  was  a  man  of  accomplished  manners 
and  fond  of  society,  was  able,  by  the  aid  of  his  fine  talents,  to 
dispense  with  some  of  the  severe  study  that  others  engaged 
in.  This,  however,  did  not  escape  the  envy  and  malice  of 
the  world,  and  it  was  said,  in  a  kind  of  petulant  and  absurd 
exaggeration,  that  he  used  to  walk  to  the  South  End  of  a 
Saturday,  and,  if  he  saw  a  man  riding  into  town  in  a  black 
coat,  would  stop  and  ask  him  to  preach  the  next  day.  Dr. 
Chauncy  was  a  close  student,  very  absent,  and  very  irritable. 
On  these  traits  in  the  character  of  the  two  clergymen,  a  ser- 
vant of  Dr.  Chauncy  laid  a  scheme  for  obtaining  a  particular 
object  of  his  master.  Scipio  went  into  his  master's  study 
one  morning  to  receive  some  directions,  which  the  Doctor 


120  THE    HISTORY    OF 

poraries,  and  in  all  the  obituary  notices  that  were 
written  of  him,  the  halo  of  patriotism  that  encircles 


having  given,  resumed  his  writing,  but  the  servant  still  re- 
mained. The  master  looking  up  a  few  minutes  afterwards, 
and  supposing  he  had  just  come  in,  said,  '  Scipio,  what  do 
you  want  ? '  'I  want  a  new  coat,  Massa.'  '  Well,  go  to 
Mrs.  Chauncy  and  tell  her  to  give  you  one  of  my  old  coats'  ; 
and  was  again  absorbed  in  his  studies.  The  servant  remained 
fixed.  After  several  repetitions  of  this  question  and  answer, 
the  negro  says  he  is  afraid  to  wear  another  black  coat,  and 
when  pressed  for  the  reason  of  his  fear,  and  threatened  with 
punishment  if  he  does  not  instantly  disclose  it,  he  answers, 
'  Well,  Massa,  you  make  me  tell,  but  I  know  you  be  angry. 
I  'fraid,  Massa,  if  I  wear  another  black  coat,  Dr.  Cooper  ask 
me  to  preach  for  him.'  This  unexpected  termination  realized 
the  servant's  calculation;  his  irritated  master  burst  into  a 
laugh.  '  Go,  you  rascal,  get  my  hat  and  cane,  and  tell  Mrs. 
Chauncy  she  may  give  you  a  coat  of  any  color,  a  red  one  if 
you  choose.'  Away  went  the  negro  to  his  mistress,  and  the 
Doctor  to  tell  the  story  to  his  friend,  Dr.  Cooper." 

This  anecdote  has  very  much  the  appearance  of  being  the  in- 
vention of  some  good  story-teller  of  the  day  ;  even  if  true,  and 
fairly  illustrative  of  character,  it  only  intimates  that  Dr.  Cooper 
sought  what  occasional  aid  he  could  obtain  in  services  which 
unaided  he  never  neglected.  The  number  of  his  published 
occasional  sermons  shows  that  he  was  accustomed  to  look  at 
every  public  event  in  its  connection  with  the  pulpit,  and  to 
use  it  to  give  interest  and  efficacy  to  the  services  of  Sunday. 
That  he  gave  as  much  attention  and  laid  out  the  whole 
strength  and  power  of  his  mind  in  preparations  for  the  pulpit 
to  the  extent  he  would  have  done  had  he  been  less  of  a  public 
character,  may  well  be  doubted;  but  there  is  no  authentic 
evidence  that  he  was  negligent  in  these  preparations,  or  in 
any  of  the  immediate  and  appropriate  duties  of  his  profes- 
sion. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  121 

his  name  is  always  embalmed  in  the  odor  of  sanc- 
tity, and  the  same  pen  that  eulogizes  in  strongest 
terms  his  character  and  services  as  a  patriot  and 
statesman,  does  equal  honor  to  his  fidelity  and 
devotedness  as  a  Christian  teacher  and  pastor. 
Certain  it  is  that  his  society  was  prosperous,  and 
his  preaching  attended  with  interest  and  edifica- 
tion by  as  large  a  number  of  the  distinguished 
citizens  of  the  town  as  worshipped  at  any  other 
church  ;  and  my  predecessor,  whose  competency 
to  judge  in  the  matter  will  not  be  questioned, 
says  that  u  his  published  sermons,  methodical, 
elaborate,  animated,  and  impressive,  would  cer- 
tainly be  ranked,  in  this  better  day  of  pulpit  elo- 
quence, as  productions  of  unusual  merit."  After 
his  death,  the  society  appointed  a  committee 
to  select  and  publish  a  volume  from  his  ser- 
mons. But  the  manuscripts  were  found  to  be 
in  a  condition  which  would  not  permit  of  pos- 
thumous publication  without  great  injustice  to 
his  memory.  In  Governor  Sullivan's  obituary 
notice,  already  quoted,  his  religious  sentiments 
are  described  as  "rational  and  catholic,  being 
drawn  from  the  Gospel  of  Christ,"  and  his  ser- 
mons as  avoiding  "  those  nice  and  needless  dis- 
tinctions which  had  too  often  proved  detrimental 
to  Christian  love  and  union."  In  theology,  Dr. 
Cooper  was  undoubtedly  one  of  the  moderately 
liberal  men  of  his  day.     A  monody  published  in 


122 


THE    HISTORY    OF 


the  Independent  Chronicle,  a  few  days  after  his 
death,  thus  closes  its  description  of  his  char- 
acter: — 

"  Formed  to  excel  in  each  ennobled  part 
That  burnished  life,  or  humanized  the  heart, 
How  did  thy  bright  example  recommend 
The  parent,  partner,  citizen,  and  friend  ! 
Warm  in  aifection,  wise  with  finished  ease, 
'  Intent  to  reason,  or  polite  to  please,' 
In  private  paths,  in  every  public  line, 
The  best  associate,  statesman,  and  divine 


>'  * 


Brattle  Street,  February  17th,  1850. 


"  MONODY  OCCASIONED  BY  THE  DEATH  OF  SAMUEL  COOPER, 
D.  D.,  PASTOR  OF  BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH,  WHO 
DIED    DECEMBER   29tH,    1783. 

u  'T  is  done  !  from  earth  the  illustrious  prophet  flies, 
Cooper,  the  all-accomplished  Cooper,  dies  ! 
That  bosom,  where  benevolence  abode  ; 
That  form,  where  nature  every  grace  bestowed  ; 
That  eye,  where  soft  persuasion  sweetly  smiled, 
Illumed  the  heart,  and  every  care  beguiled  ; 
That  tongue,  which  long,  in  virtue's  cause,  combined 
Reason  and  truth,  and  eloquence  refined, 
Finished  and  fraught  with  all  the  sacred  lore, 
Is  cold, — is  lifeless,  —  and  must  charm  no  more  ! 
While  the  pure  spirit  which  the  whole  informed, 
Glowed  in  the  bosom,  and  the  features  warmed, 
Flown  upward,  free  of  elemental  clay, 
Explores  new  mansions  in  the  fields  of  day. 
From  whence  sure,  Cooper,  on  thy  natal  hour, 
Immortal  Genius  shed  his  heavenly  power, 
Thy  tender  mind  by  intuition  taught, 
And  bathed  it  in  the  lucid  stream  of  thought, 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  123 

Adorned  thy  heart  with  every  social  grace, 

And  sketched  his  beauteous  image  in  thy  face. 

Enlightened  wisdom  crowned  thy  youthful  head, 

Fair  Science  nursed  thee,  and  the  Muses  bred; 

And  Taste,  enamored,  wooed  to  vernal  bowers, 

And  wreathed  a  favorite  with  her  choicest  flowers; 

While,  pleased,  Religion  to  thy  care  consigned 

Her  noblest  aim,  the  bliss  of  human  kind. 

Yon  hallowed  temple  and  thy  flock  forlorn 

Now  vainly  seek  thee  on  the  accustomed  morn  ; 

The  sacred  morn,  that  ushered  holy  days 

All  dedicate  to  pious  prayer  and  praise. 

When  on  those  lips  whole  auditories  hung, 

And  truths  divine  came  brilliant  from  thy  tongue, 

Then  did  devotion  beautifully  climb, 

In  glowing  pathos,  and  the  truth  sublime  ; 

Extend  to  future  worlds  our  wondering  sight, 

And  ravish  with  ineffable  delight. 

Formed  to  excel  in  each  ennobled  part 

That  burnished  life,  or  humanized  the  heart, 

How  did  thy  bright  example  recommend 

The  parent,  partner,  citizen,  and  friend  ! 

Warm  in  affection,  wise  with  finished  ease, 

'  Intent  to  reason,  or  polite  to  please,' 

In  private  paths,  in  every  public  line, 

The  best  associate,  statesman,  and  divine  ! 

And  Heaven,  that  saw  thy  matchless  talents  rise, 

Embellish  earth  and  ripen  for  the  skies, 

Approving  saw, —  and  summoned  hence  in  love, 

To  gain  perfection  in  the  courts  above. 

Now  to  those  realms,  with  thee,  sweet  hope  ascends 

Where  smiling  cherubs  gratulate  their  friends, 

And  all  the  virtuous,  since  the  world  began, 

Compose  the  illustrious  choir  of  angel  man. 

No  sorrow  there,  no  hapless  ills  molest, 

No  envy  sickens,  and  no  cares  infest, 

Perpetual  gladness  and  delight  sincere 

Forbid  a  pain,  a  trouble,  or  a  tear, 


124         HISTORY    OF    BRATTLE    STREET    CHURCH, 

Celestial,  rosy  wreaths  of  glory  twine, 

And  round  thy  temples  weave  a  crown  divine  ; 

Increase,  renewed,  thy  energetic  sight, 

To  drink  intense,  unmitigated  light, 

Breathe  on  thy  lips,  of  praise,  the  sweet  perfume, 

And  flush  each  feature  with  immortal  bloom, 

Conduct  with  acclamations  to  the  throne 

Thy  spotless  spirit,  perfect  as  their  own, 

There  where  the  crystal  streams  of  pleasure  flow, 

The  beryls  sparkle,  and  the  rubies  glow, 

On  golden  harps  their  raptured  notes  employ, 

And  turn  thy  soul  to  ecstasies  of  joy. 

Yet,  O  thrice  happy  shade!  if,  where  thou  art, 

Our  softest  feelings  touch  a  seraph's  heart, 

If  spirits,  severed  from  their  mortal  birth, 

Indulge  some  gentle  sympathies  of  earth, 

If  in  their  breasts  those  sweet  emotions  move, 

Compassion,  friendship,  lenity,  and  love, 

Ah,  view  thy  sad  associates  weeping  here, 

Console  the  sorrow,  and  dispel  the  tear  ; 

Teach  them  like  thee  t'  adorn  each  post  assigned, 

T'  instruct,  improve,  and  elevate  mankind ; 

Point  to  their  view  the  path  thou  still  hast  trod, 

Glorious  to  thee  and  pleasing  to  thy  God  ;  — 

But  pity  grief  to  human  frailty  known, 

The  throbbing  sigh,  the  melancholy  moan, 

This  fond  regret  for  those  beloved  before, 

This  tender  melting  for  a  friend  no  more  ; 

Forgive  the  tide  of  undissembled  woes 

Which  for  ourselves  and  for  our  country  flows. 

We  mourn  the  loss,  —  we  mourn  the  virtues  fled, 

We  mourn  a  brother  and  a  patriot  dead." 

Independent  Chronicle,  Jan.  8th,  1784. 


SERMON    IV. 


A    WISE    MAN  S    HEART     DISCERNETH     BOTH     TIME    AND    JUDG- 
MENT. —  Eccl.  viii.  5. 

I  propose,  this  morning,  to  continue  our  re- 
view of  the  history  of  this  church,  and  have 
selected  the  words  of  the  text  because  they  seem 
an  appropriate  description  of  the  character  of  its 
fourth  pastor,  Rev.  Peter  Thacher,  D.  D. 

After  the  death  of  Dr.  Cooper,  December 
12th,  1783,  the  pulpit  was  supplied  for  some 
weeks  by  the  ministers  of  the  association  and 
neighborhood,  who,  in  turn,  preached  to  the 
bereaved  flock.  What  arrangements  were  then 
made  for  the  supply  of  the  pulpit,  I  cannot  ascer- 
tain. In  the  following  spring,  Wednesday,  the 
12th  of  May,  was  set  apart  to  be  observed,  say 
the  records,  "as  a  day  of  solemn  humiliation 
and  prayer,  to  implore  the  blessing  of  God  upon 
this  society,  and  the  influences  of  his  Holy  Spirit 
to  direct  us  to  the  choice  of  such  a  minister  as 
shall  adorn  the  Christian  character,  promote  the 


126  THE    HISTORY   OF 

honor  and  interest  of  his  Divine  Master,  and  be 
of  the  most  important  advantage  to  us  and  to  our 
children."  The  deacons  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee "  to  ask  the  favor  of  the  pastors  of  the 
associated  churches,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Howard 
of  this  town  to  lead  in  the  solemn  exercises  of 
the  day."  It  does  not  appear,  however,  that  this 
observance  was  followed  by  any  immediate  steps 
towards  the  choice  of  a  pastor.  Indeed,  so  far  as 
the  records  show,  nothing  more  was  done  in  re- 
lation to  this  subject  till  the  following  October, 
when  a  movement  was  made  to  obtain  the  ser- 
vices of  the  Rev.  Peter  Thacher,  then  settled  in 
the  neighboring  town  of  Maiden. 

Dr.  Palfrey,  in  alluding  to  the  circumstances 
attending  this  call,  says  in  a  note  to  his  sermon, 
"  As  this  transaction  is  recent,  and  many  of  those 
whose  judgments  differed  upon  it  survive,  I  do  not 
give  a  detailed  account  of  it."  These  survivors 
must  have  been  far  advanced  in  life  when  Dr.  Pal- 
frey prepared  his  sermon.  In  the  twenty-five 
years  that  have  since  elapsed,  they  have  all  prob- 
ably passed  to  their  account  ;  and  as  the  "  trans- 
action "  led  to  some  discussion  in  the  newspapers 
of  the  day,  and  involves  the  character  both  of 
the  society  and  one  of  its  most  beloved  and  hon- 
ored ministers,  it  would  seem  to  be  just  to  all  the 
parties  concerned  that  the  details  of  the  proceed- 
ings should  now  be  briefly  stated.     These  details, 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  127 

indeed,  seem  to  me  to  be  honorable  to  all  con- 
nected with  them ;  at  least,  looked  at  calmly  at 
this  period,  they  present  nothing  to  the  discredit 
of  either  party,  —  nothing  unworthy  or  unbecom- 
ing Christian  men,  in  a  matter  of  such  grave  im- 
portance. 

It  is  due  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Thacher,  that 
it  should  be  understood  at  the  outset,  that  there 
is  no  evidence  to  be  gathered  from  our  records, 
or  from  any  other  quarter,  that  he  in  any  way 
sought  the  place,  or  made  any  efforts  to  obtain  it. 
There  is  no  evidence  even  that  he  ever  preached 
in  this  church  previous  to  his  invitation  to  become 
the  pastor.  The  attention  of  the  society  seems 
to  have  been  directed  to  him  from  his  general 
reputation  and  character  as  a  man,  a  patriot,  and 
a  divine,  eminent  in  pulpit  gifts  and  graces,  dis- 
tinguished for  his  growing  ability,  fidelity,  and 
devotedness  as  a  Christian  minister.  As  the 
great  body  of  this  parish  at  that  time,  together 
with  its  late  minister  and  all  its  prominent  mem- 
bers, had  been  zealous  advocates  and  actors  in 
the  cause  of  American  liberty,  and  as  Mr. 
Thacher  had  taken  a  very  decided  and  earnest 
part  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  it  may  be  that 
this  circumstance  had  some  influence  in  develop- 
ing an  affinity  between  him  and  this  vacant  parish. 
The  political  influence  of  a  minister  was  still 
great,  and  his  political  position  and  opinions  im- 


128  THE    HISTORY    OF 

portant.  Liberty  and  independence  had  just  been 
secured  by  a  triumph  over  foreign  aggression,  but 
wisdom  and  patriotism  had  yet  a  difficult  task  to 
consolidate  and  secure  them  from  domestic  dissen- 
sion. The  society  doubtless  felt  assured,  from 
Mr.  Thacher's  previous  career  and  known  princi- 
ples, that  in  him  they  should  secure  a  minister 
whose  political  influence  would  be  directed  and 
exerted  in  harmony  with  their  own. 

The  movement  in  relation  to  Mr.  Thacher 
was  thus  commenced  and  conducted.  On  the 
9th  of  October,  1784,  the  following  letter  was 
sent  to  the  Standing  Committee,  requesting  them 
to  call  a  meeting  of  the  society  :  — 

"  Brethren,  —  It  having  pleased  Almighty  God 
to  remove  by  death  our  late  worthy,  learned, 
and  amiable  pastor,  under  whom  we  sat  with  so 
much  pleasure  and  delight,  and  although  near 
twelve  months  have  elapsed  since  his  decease,  we 
are  still  as  sheep  having  no  proper  shepherd. 
Under  these  circumstances  we  are  liable  to  scat- 
ter and  fall  into  divisions  and  lessen  our  numbers. 
These  reflections  have  discovered  to  us  the  im- 
portance of  having  the  breach  (which  God  in  his 
providence  has  made  upon  us)  repaired  as  soon 
as  possible.  It  is  the  opinion  of  the  subscribers, 
members  of  the  church  and  congregation,  that  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Peter  Thacher,  of  Maiden,  if  he  could 
be  honorably  obtained  by  the  mutual  consent  of 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  129 

both  societies  (for  upon  any  other  terms  we  could 
not  wish  it),  would  be  the  most  likely  person  to 
unite  us,  and  restore  us  to  that  harmony  and 
brotherly  love  which  we  ever  enjoyed  under  our 
late  worthy  pastor.  We  therefore  wish  and  de- 
sire that  the  committee  would  call  a  meeting  of 
the  church  and  congregation  for  the  purpose  of 
knowing  their  minds  upon  this  subject,  and  if  the 
church  and  congregation  should  be  happily  united 
in  their  opinion  of  Mr.  Thacher,  then  to  consider 
what  further  prudent  steps  may  be  taken  in  order 
to  obtain  so  good  a  purpose." 

This  letter  was  signed  by  ninety-three  persons, 
and  was  accompanied  by  a  note  stating  that  twen- 
ty-eight others,  whose  names  were  given,  and 
who,  for  particular  reasons,  thought  it  not  proper 
to  sign  the  paper,  u  were  yet  as  heartily  for  Mr. 
Thacher  as  any  persons  who  had  signed  it."  Tt 
was  laid  before  the  society  at  a  meeting  held  the 
next  day,  and  at  an  adjourned  meeting,  held  Octo- 
ber 24th,  after  mature  deliberation,  the  following 
votes  were  passed  :  — 

"  Voted,  That  Rev.  Peter  Thacher,  of  Mai- 
den, is  a  gentleman  whose  sentiments  and  char- 
acter are  so  agreeable  to  us,  that  we  could  wish 
him  to  settle  with  us  in  the  Gospel  ministry,  if  by 
honorable  means  he  could  be  obtained. 

u  Tt  having  pleased  the  Sovereign  Director  of 
events  in  his  holy  providence  to  remove  from  us 
9 


130  THE    HISTORY    OF 

by  death  our  late  excellent  pastor,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Cooper,  and  a  great  number  of  the  brethren  of  this 
church  and  congregation  having,  by  their  written 
application  for  calling  this  meeting,  expressed  their 
opinion  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Peter  Thacher,  minis- 
ter of   a   parish    in   Maiden,    if  in  an   honorable 
way,  and  with  the  consent  of  our  worthy  brethren 
of  Maiden,  he   could  be   obtained  to  succeed  to 
the  pastoral  office  in  this   society,  would   be  the 
most  likely  person  to  keep  us  united,  and  thereby 
continue  that  harmony  and  brotherly  love  we  ever 
enjoyed  under  our  late  worthy  pastor,  and  it  being 
probable  that  our  brethren  in  Maiden,  from  a  con- 
sideration of  Mr.  Thacher's  more   extensive  use- 
fulness, would  consent  to  his  removal  to  Boston, 
therefore    Voted,    That  this    society    do    concur 
with  our  brethren  in  the  above-mentioned  opinion, 
and  we  do  hereby  express  our  intention  to  invite 
the  Rev.   Mr.  Thacher  to  settle  with  us   in  the 
pastoral  character,  provided  our  brethren  of  Mai- 
den shall  consent  thereto.     Without  whose  con- 
sent,  considering    their    present   relation   to   Mr. 
Thacher,  we  do  not  mean  to  give  the  invitation. " 
A   committee   was  then    appointed,   of   which 
Stephen  Higginson  was  chairman,  to  communi- 
cate  these   votes  to   Mr.    Thacher,    and  to  the 
deacons  of  the  church  at  Maiden,  and  to  confer 
with  any  committee  that  might  be  appointed  on 
the    part  of  that  church.      This   committee    dis- 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  131 

charged  its  duty  by  transmitting  a  copy  of  the 
votes,  and  addressing  the  following  letters  to  the 
parties  interested. 

"To  the  Rev.  Peter  Thacher  :  — 

u  Dear  Sir,  —  The  inclosed  copies  of  votes 
passed  by  the  society  who  statedly  worship  in 
Brattle  Square  are  of  themselves  fully  sufficient 
to  communicate  the  business  of  our  commission. 
According  to  the  direction  therein  contained,  we 
have  transmitted  like  copies  to  the  deacons  of 
your  church  and  parish.  As  the  idea  of  the  re- 
moval of  a  minister  from  one  parish  to  another, 
on  an  expectation  of  his  usefulness  being  rendered 
more  extensive,  is  not  new  either  in  the  opinion 
or  practice  of  this  country,  we  hope  your  parish 
will  cordially  comply  with  the  almost  unanimous 
wish  of  our  society  ;  for  to  them  it  appears  evi- 
dent that  your  being  placed  in  this  town,  as  min- 
ister of  so  large  a  congregation,  will  render  those 
talents  with  which  the  wise  Disposer  of  all  things 
has  seen  fit  to  bless  you  a  much  greater  blessing 
to  mankind,  than  they  can  be  where  you  are  now 
placed.  We  are,  with  sentiments  of  respect, 
your  humble  servants,  &c." 

"  To  the  Deacons  of  the  Church  in  Mal- 
den  :  — 
"Brethren,  —  In  compliance  with   the  direc- 


132  THE    HISTORY    OF 

tion  of  the  society  statedly  worshipping  in  Brat- 
tle Street  in  the  town  of  Boston,  we  transmit 
you  the  inclosed  votes.  They  were  passed  with 
two  dissentients  only.  The  subject  of  them  is 
delicate  as  well  as  important,  and  we  trust  that 
the  spirit  of  them  breathes  nothing  inconsistent 
with  that  charity  and  benevolence  which  ought  at 
all  times  to  be  exercised  by  one  religious  society 
towards  another.  The  idea  of  removing  a  minis- 
ter from  one  church  to  another,  when  his  useful- 
ness will  thereby  be  rendered  more  extensive,  is 
not  new.  This  consideration  has  prevailed  in 
other  cases,  and  we  trust  your  candor,  aided  by 
your  inclination  to  render  the  Church  Universal 
more  enlightened,  and  to  make  mankind  more 
happy,  will  give  it  weight  in  your  minds.  It  is 
not  our  duty,  nor  within  our  commission,  to  say 
more  upon  the  subject  ;  but  should  you  appoint  a 
committee  to  meet  with  us,  we  will  then  confer 
freely  with  them  on  the  matter.  Your  humble 
servants,  &c." 

These  letters,  signed  by  Stephen  Higginson, 
in  behalf  of  the  committee,  were  sent  October 
25,  1784.  No  reply  was  made  by  the  society  in 
Maiden  till  December  9th.  In  the  mean  time, 
Mr.  Thacher  himself,  after  receiving  the  com- 
munication from  this  society,  determined  to  ask  a 
dismission  from  his  parish  at  Maiden,  and  his  let- 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  133 

ter  to  that  effect  was  laid  before  the  meeting 
called  to  consider  the  communication  from  this 
society.  Through  the  kindness  of  that  branch  of 
Dr.  Thacher's  family  who  still  worship  with  us, 
I  have  in  my  possession  the  original  draft  of  this 
letter,  with  the  corrections  and  erasures.  It  is 
due  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Thacher,  that  the 
principal  portions  of  it  should  be  presented  to 
you.     It  is  as  follows. 

u  To  the  First  Church  of  Christ  in  Mal- 
den  :  — 

e<  Brethren,  —  More  than  fourteen  years  have 
elapsed  since  I  entered  upon  the  work  of  the 
ministry  among  you.  During  this  period,  I  have 
often  addressed  you  upon  occasions  the  most 
melancholy  and  interesting,  but  in  none  of  them 
did  I  ever  feel  the  pain  which  is  excited  by  my 
present  application. 

"  The  votes  of  the  church  and  society  in  Brat- 
tle Street,  Boston,  with  respect  to  my  removal 
thither,  will  be  laid  before  you  at  your  present 
meeting.  They  will  inform  you  that  removals 
are  known  in  the  constitutions  of  these  churches, 
and  were  frequently  practised  by  our  forefathers. 
They  will  inform  you,  (and  your  own  knowledge 
must  convince  you  of  the  truth  of  the  observa- 
tion,) that  there  is  a  prospect  of  my  being  much 
more  useful  to  the  Church  of  God  there,  than  I 
can  be  here. 


134  THE    HISTORY    OF 

"  Of  this  truth  I  am  fully  and  firmly  convinced, 
and  under  the  influence  of  this  conviction,  I  must 
entreat  and  request  of  you,  that  you  would  con- 
sent to  my  dismissal  from  the  pastoral  charge  over 
you.      There  is  not  a  single  hesitation  in  my  mind 
but  that  it  is  my  duty  to  ask  such  a  dismissal,  and 
yours  to  consent  to  it  ;  and  from  the  same  princi- 
ples of  regard  to  the  interests  of  religion  and  our 
mutual  edification  and  comfort,  which  I  trust  led 
us  first  to  form  and  so  long  continue  the  connec- 
tion between  us,  I  would  desire  you  to  grant  this 
consent,  and  request  my  friends,   as  a   token  of 
their  regard  for  me,  to  vote  for  such  dismission. 
I  do  not  wish  you  to  be  losers  by  my  de- 
parture from  you  ;  I  am,  therefore,  ready  to  give 
up  to  you,  not  only  the   sixty  pounds  which  you 
gave  me  at  my  settlement,  but  also  the  whole  sum 
which  is  due  me  from  the  parish  when  they  shall 
consent  to  my  removal  to  Boston  ;  but  should  I 
be  refused  this  consent,  and  be  obliged  to  call  a 
council  to  determine  upon  the   matter,  I  should 
not  hold  myself  bound  by  this  offer,  as  this  meas- 
ure would  be  attended  with  expense,  and  might 
put  you  and  me  to  difficulties  totally  needless,  be- 
cause they  might  be  prevented  by  consenting  to 
such  a  removal.     You  may  be  assured  that  I  do 
not  mean  lo  reflect  upon  you,  or  to  say  any  thing 

which  may  give  you  pain, but  I  would  thank 

God  and  you  for  the  union  that  hath  so   happily 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  135 

subsisted  between  us.  I  know  not  that  I  ever  had 
a  personal  difference  with  any  one  among  you.  I 
could  wish  that  we  might  part  in  the  same  love 
in  which  we  have  lived  together.  I  can  appeal 
to  your  memories,  and  your  records,  and  your 
feelings,  that  I  have  never  discovered  a  disposi- 
tion to  encroach  upon  you,  or  to  make  a  gain  of 
godliness  among  you.  You  may  be  assured  that 
I  shall  in  any  future  period  of  my  life  feel  myself 
happy  in  serving  you,  or  any  individual  among 
you,  to  the  utmost  of  my  poor  ability.  May  the 
Almighty  overrule  your  proceedings  and  my  con- 
duct to  his  glory  and  the  good  of  his  Church.  I 
subscribe  myself,  your  affectionate  friend  and 
pastor, 

M  Peter  Teacher." 

In  the  discussion  which  was  had  of  this  matter 
at  the  time,  Dr.  Thacher  was  censured  by  some 
at  this  point  in  the  proceedings.  It  was  thought 
by  some,  that  this  letter  ought  not  to  have  been 
sent  at  this  precise  moment  ;  that  the  parish 
should  have  been  left  free  to  act  as  they  might 
deem  best  on  the  communication  which  had  been 
received  from  the  church  in  Brattle  Street.  But 
the  question  arises,  How  could  the  parish  act  ? 
They  could  not  reply  to  the  society  in  Brattle 
Street,  "You  shall  not  have  our  minister;  we 
will  not  release  him"  ;  because,  if  he  had  wished 


136  THE    HISTORY    OF 

to  go,  they  could  not,  with  proper  self-respect, 
wish  to  retain  him.  They  could  not  reply, 
u  lou  may  have  our  minister  if  you  want  him  ; 
we  are  willing  to  release  him  if  he  desires  to 
go  "  ;  for  this  would  be  interpreted  into  an  undue 
readiness,  if  not  a  desire,  to  have  him  leave  them. 
The  society  could  have  done  nothing,  therefore, 
but  refer  the  matter  to  their  pastor  for  his  decis- 
ion. It  was  virtually  referred  to  him,  by  the 
votes  of  this  church,  copies  of  which  were  sent 
to  him  and  to  the  deacons  of  his  society.  He 
was  the  proper  person  to  take  the  next  step  in 
the  proceedings,  by  signifying  to  his  parish  his 
wish  and  purpose  in  regard  to  the  communication 
from  Brattle  Street.  He  took  that  step  by  ask- 
ing a  dismission,  and  in  so  doing  brought  the  mat- 
ter before  his  parish  in  the  only  form  in  which 
they  could  act  upon  it.  How  the  parish  acted 
upon  it  may  be  learned  from  their  letter  to  this 
church,  bearing  date  December  9th,  1784. 

u  To  the  Church  and  Congregation  in 
Brattle  Street,  Boston  :  — 
"  Brethren,  —  Your  letter  of  the  25th  of  Octo- 
ber last  occasioned  great  surprise  and  concern 
to  us.  It  was  upon  a  subject  important  and  deli- 
cate to  the  highest  degree.  Were  we  to  say 
that  we  were  satisfied  with  the  principles  or  prac- 
tice of  removals,  we  should  tell   you   that  which 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  137 

was  not  true  ;  were  we  to  express  an  approbation 
of  the  steps  you  have  taken,  or  to  say  we  be- 
lieved you  to  have  done  to  us  as  you  would  be 
done  by,  in  this  case,  we  should  equally  violate 
the  truth.  For  though  we  mean  not  to  reproach 
or  censure  you,  yet  we  cannot  but  suppose  that 
you  have  done  that,  the  lawfulness  of  which  may 
at  least  admit  of  much  doubt.  We  can  assure 
you  that  your  application  alone,  let  it  have  been 
attended  with  any  circumstances  whatsoever, 
would  never  have  induced  us  to  part  with  our 
minister.  We  were  at  peace  with  him  and  among 
ourselves  ;  we  had  no  desire  nor  inclination  to 
dissolve  the  connection  between  us.  We  wished 
it  to  continue  till  death  should  have  parted  us. 
But  Mr.  Thacher  himself  hath  applied  for  a  dis- 
mission from  us  ;  that  which  we  should  never 
have  granted  to  your  desires  alone,  we  have  given 
to  his.  The  connection  between  us  is  dissolved, 
and  he  is  dismissed  from  his  pastoral  relation 
to  us. 

"  This  event  has  involved  us  in  a  situation  very 
unhappy.  We  are  as  sheep  without  a  shepherd, 
and  we  know  not  when,  nor  how,  our  loss  may  be 
supplied.  Very  great  damage  upon  temporal  as 
well  as  spiritual  accounts  will  accrue  to  us  in  con- 
sequence of  it.  We  despise  the  idea  of  bargain- 
ing for  a  minister.  Poor  as  we  may  be  in  com- 
parison of  many  others,  we  are  not  yet  reduced 


138  THE    HISTORY    OF 

to  the  necessity  of  asking  an  alms  ;  but  we  sub- 
mit it  to  your  justice  and  generosity,  and  to  your 
own  principles  of  the  propriety  of  removals, 
whether  it  is  not  suitable  and  proper  for  you  to 
make  us  such  a  compensation  upon  pecuniary  ac- 
counts, as  may  in  some  measure  prevent  us  from 
feeling  many  distressing  consequences  which 
might  otherwise  take  place  from  this  measure, 
for  we  cannot  doubt  that  your  application  had  its 
influence  in  urging  Mr.  Thacher  to  ask  a  dismis- 
sion from  us. 

"  We  have,  therefore,  appointed  Mr.  Joseph 
Perkins,  Thomas  Hill,  James  Kettell,  Samuel 
Sprague,  and  Hymond  Bradbury,  a  committee  to 
confer  with  you  upon  the  subject,  if  you  should 
think  it  proper.  And  although  we  feel  aggrieved 
and  distressed,  yet  Christian  charity  obliges  us  to 
wish  that  the  Gospel  may  flourish  among  you, 
and  that  Mr.  Thacher  may  be  a  blessing  to  you 
and  to  your  children  after  you.  We  are  in  the 
name  and  by  order  of  the  First  Church  and 
Parish  in  Maiden,  your  brethren  and  friends. " 

This  letter,  signed  by  the  committee  named  in 
it,  was  laid  before  this  society  at  a  meeting  held 
December  12th.  It  was  immediately  voted, 
"  That  the  committee  that  had  already  acted  in 
the  matter  be  authorized  to  confer  with  the  com- 
mittee of  the  parish  in  Maiden,  and  to  remove  all 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  139 

cause  of  grievance."  This  committee  subse- 
quently reported  a  recommendation,  that  three 
hundred  pounds  be  raised  by  subscription,  and 
paid  to  the  society  in  Maiden,  "  to  satisfy  their 
extra  expenses  "  in  settling  another  minister,  on 
condition  that  the  arrears  of  salary  due  to  Dr. 
Thacher  should  previously  be  paid.  This  was  ac- 
cordingly done  ;  the  money  was  paid  on  the  7th  of 
June,  1785,  and  the  receipt  of  the  committee  of 
the  society  in  Maiden  stands  on  our  books  of  that 
date  in  the  following  words  :  — 

"  We,  the  subscribers,  in  the  name  and  by  the 
order  of  the  First  Parish  in  Maiden,  do  hereby 
acknowledge  to  have  received  of  Timothy  Newell 
and  others,  a  committee  of  the  church  and  con- 
gregation in  Brattle  Street,  Boston,  the  sum  of 
three  hundred  pounds,  lawful  money,  to  and  for 
the  use  of  said  parish  in  Maiden,  which  sum  was 
voted  and  generously  given  by  said  congregation 
in  Brattle  Street,  in  order  to  defray  the  extra  ex- 
penses to  which  we  may  be  exposed  in  con- 
sequence of  the  removal  of  the  Rev.  Peter 
Thacher  from  Maiden  to  Boston  ;  and  we  do 
acknowledge  that,  while  Mr.  Thacher  continued 
with  us,  he  had  just  cause  to  complain  of  the 
want  of  punctuality  in  our  payments  to  him,  there 
being  the  sum  of  two  hundred  and  nine  pounds 
fourteen    shillings    and    eight  pence    due  to   him 


140  THE    HISTORY    OF 

when  he  left  us.  We  do  hereby  likewise  de- 
clare, that  we  do  not  charge  the  said  church 
and  congregation  in  Brattle  Street  with  any  un- 
christian or  unfair  conduct  in  their  application 
respecting  Mr.  Thacher's  removal  from  us  to 
that  society. 

(Signed,)  Joseph  Perkins, 

Thomas  Hill, 
James  Kettell." 

Mr.  Thacher,  meantime,  was  invited,  at  the 
meeting  held  December  12th,  to  become  the 
pastor  of  the  church.  He  accepted  the  invita- 
tion, and  was  installed  on  the  12th  of  January, 
1784,  Dr.  Osgood  of  Medford  preaching  the 
sermon. 

In  reviewing  all  the  circumstances  connected 
with  "  this  transaction"  there  does  not  appear 
to  be  any  thing  to  condemn  in  either  party. 
Several  newspaper  articles  appeared  at  the  time, 
and  some  poetical  wit  of  the  day  made  the  matter 
the  theme  of  some  verses,  published  in  the  Co- 
lumbian   Centinel,*    in   which   the  letter   of  our 

*  "  For  the  Centinel. 

"  Messrs.  Printers, — 

"  Please  give  the  following  a  place  in   the  Centinel,  and 
you  will  oblige  a  customer  :  — 

"  Christ's  wealthy  Church  in  Br-tt-e  St — t, 
His  poorer  flock  in  M-ld-n  greet, 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  141 

committee  to  Dr.  Thacher  is  well  hit  off ;  but  no 
wrong  done  by   any   party  can  be    pointed   out. 


With  hearts  brim  full  of  Christian  love, 
They  wish  them  blessings  from  above. 
Dear  Sirs,  of  late  we  lost  our  Pastor, 
And  mourn  sincere  the  sore  disaster; 
Because  we  clearly  can  foresee 
Our  sheep  much  scattered  will  be, 
Unless  we  should  of  God's  free  grace 
A  shepherd  get  to  fill  his  place. 

"  Now  having  sought  Divine  direction, 
We  thought  it  fit,  on  due  reflection, 
To  tempt  the  parson  of  your  church 
To  leave  his  people  in  the  lurch  ; 
Though  few  have  heard  him  scarcely  thrice, 
Yet  most  believe  he  preaches  nice, 
And  is  a  man  that 's  fitted  quite 
To  make  us  all  in  him  unite. 
On  trial  fair,  we  plainly  find 
Our  pious  scheme  well  suits  his  mind  ; 
Then  what  remains  for  us  to  do 
But  settle  matters  right  with  you  ? 
Sure  if  you  cannot  him  maintain, 
Of  us  you  ought  not  to  complain  ; 
Now  therefore  send  him  off  to  us, 
And  we  will  fill  his  mouth  and  purse. 
The  cash  you  owe  him,  as  't  is  said, 
Shall  very  cheerfully  be  paid; 
Another  preacher,  should  you  want, 
A  settlement  for  him  we  '11  grant ; 
Thus  to  the  world  we  '11  fully  show 
That  naught  but  honor  we  've  in  view. 
Yet  stronger  arguments  than  these 
We  can  produce  with  greater  ease, 
And  make  it  clear  that  we  are  right, 
And  act  by  help  of  Gospel  light. 


142  THE    HISTORY    OF 

The   preliminary  proceedings   of  this    parish,   in 
expressing  a  favorable  opinion  of  Mr.  Thacher, 

"  From  best  of  men  we  often  hear, 
That  you  've  no  souls  to  save  (they  fear), 
That  parts  like  his  in  napkin  lay, 
So  long  as  he  shall  with  you  stay, 
Much  time  among  you  he  has  taught, 
And  labored  all  that  while  for  naught, 
To  church  no  single  soul  could  add, 
To  make  his  pious  heart  '  full  glad.' 
But,  in  this  place,  his  talents  Jive 
To  occupy  would  make  us  thrive  ; 
From  day  to  day  our  church  would  grow 
And  make  at  last  a  goodly  show. 
These  weighty  reasons,  as  we  trust, 
You  '11  plainly  see  are  good  and  just, 
And  freely  grant  us  our  request,  — 
Because  we  think  it  for  the  best. 

"  And  now  we  all,  with  one  accord, 
Subscribe  your  brethren  in  the  Lord." 

Massachusetts  Centinel,  Dec.  11,  1784. 

"  For  the  Centinel. 
"  Messrs.  Editors, — 

"The  following,  it  is  requested,  maybe  communicated  to 
the  public,  through  the  channel  of  the  Centinel. 

JE. 

"  I  was  called  to  preach  about  fifteen  years  ago  in  a  neigh- 
boring town  ;  in  a  short  time  after,  they  persuaded  me  to  be- 
come their  pastor.  I  am  now  called  the  shepherd  of  their 
flock  ;  they  look  upon  me  as  their  guardian  ;  I  am  beloved 
by  them  with  a  tenderness  that  cannot  be  expressed  ;  they 
discover,  also,  such  a  regard  for  my  family  and  contribute  all 
in  their  power  towards  its  support ;  in  short,  there  seems  to 
be  such  an  exertion  for  my  welfare  and  happiness,  that  I 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  143 

and  a  desire  to  obtain  him  as  their  minister,  could 
the  matter  be  arranged  to  the  mutual  satisfaction 

have  felt  till  lately  the  greatest  satisfaction  possible.  But  I 
have  lately  had  an  offer  from  a  congregation  (not  far  distant) 
of  more  than  double  what  I  now  get,  for  the  support  of  my 
family,  if  I  will  leave  my  flock  and  become  their  shepherd. 
Although  I  am  certain  of  living  in  affluence,  yet  there  seems 
to  be  a  check,  for  when  I  first  began  to  preach,  I  admonished 
against  all  the  allurements  of  this  world.  And  although 
there  is  a  probability  of  laying  up  something  handsome 
every  year,  yet  I  frankly  confess  that  before  I  was  tempted  I 
rested  satisfied. 

"  But  I  have  other  difficulties,  which  often  arise  in  my 
mind.  One  is,  whether  it  will  be  acting  upon  the  true  prin- 
ciples of  religion  to  leave  them  because  they  are  poor  (for 
this  is  the  only  reason),  and  it  is  evident  that  they  cannot  go 
to  the  charge  of  settling  another  minister.  Another  difficulty 
is,  whether  I  ought  not  to  comfort  them  by  setting  an  exam- 
ple to  bear  up  under  their  poverty,  as  I  expected  from  the 
beginning  to  share  with  them  the  troubles  as  well  as  the 
pleasures  of  life. 

"  A  Country  Minister. 

"  Quere.  Whether  if  I  leave  them  the  fault  will  not  be 
extenuated  by  the  tempters  taking  part  with  the  tempted?  " 

Massachusetts  Centinel,  Jan.  12,  1785. 

"  For  the  Centinel. 

"Messrs.  Printers, — 

"  Please  publish  the  following  in  answer  to  your  •  Country 
Minister,'  and  convince  me  that  '  uninfluenced  by  party,' 
etc. :  — 

"  I  am  a  poor  fellow,  and  have  been  a  long  time  in  some 
difficulty  about  leaving  the  man  I  now  live  with  ;  for  you 
must  know,  that  a  few  years  since  I  engaged  to  live  with  a 
gentleman  as  a  servant  at  so  much  a  year ;  and  the  Lord 


144  THE    HISTORY    OF 

and  concurrence  of  all  the  parties  concerned, 
were  perfectly  fair  and  Christian  ;  at  least,  to  say 
they  were  not,  would  be  very  harsh  judgment. 
Mr.  Thacher  had  an  inadequate  support  at  Mai- 
den.    What  was    promised   was  not  paid.     He 

knows  that  my  wages  were  but  just  sufficient  to  purchase  my 
clothes.  We  agreed  so  well  at  first,  that  I  positively  de- 
clared that  I  never  would  leave  him.  At  last  he  became 
very  negligent  about  paying  me;  I  remonstrated  with  him, 
and  he  promised  me  more  punctuality ;  and  I  believe  him  one 
of  the  best  men  existing  as  to  promises.  I  lived  upon  them 
as  long  as  I  could,  for  money  I  could  not  get.  At  length  I 
was  obliged  to  begin  and  continue  borrowing,  until  my 
friends  are  effectually  tired  out,  and  at  this  time  I  am  over 
head  and  ears  in  debt ;  nor  do  I  see  any  prospect  but  that  I 
must  go  to  jail  very  soon. 

"Now,  Messrs.  Printers,  here's  a  gentleman  who  knows 
what  a  faithful  servant  I  have  been  under  all  my  difficulties, 
and  he  has  offered  me,  if  I  will  leave  my  old  master  and 
come  and  live  with  him,  to  add  to  my  wages,  and  advance 
me  a  part  to  enable  me  to  discharge  some  of  my  debts.  I 
have  thought  seriously  of  this  proposal  ;  I  like  my  old  mas- 
ter exceeding  well,  and  if  I  could  get  any  thing  but  promises 
from  him,  I  would  continue  in  my  present  situation.  I  had 
concluded  to  leave  him,  and  should  have  done  it  by  this 
time  if  I  had  not  seen  in  your  last  Centinel  a  piece  signed 
'A  Country  Minister.'  He  raised  some  doubt  in  my  mind, 
whether,  as  I  had  once  engaged  to  live  with  him,  he  paying 
me  so  much,  I  ought  not  to  continue  with  him  after  he  failed 
in  his  part  of  the  contract;  and  whether  I  ought  not  to 
stay  and  starve  it  out,  rather  than  alter  my  condition,  and  pro- 
cure fur  myself  and  family  a  decent  living.  If  your  Country 
Minister  will  set  me  right,  he  will  much  oblige 

"  A  County  Booby." 
Massachusetts  Centinel,  Jan.  15, 1785. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  145 

had  for  some  time  contemplated  removal,  and  felt 
that  it  was  necessary.  Unless  there  are  clear 
reasons  to  the  contrary,  any  minister  is  justified 
in  interpreting  the  non-payment  of  his  salary  as 
an  evidence  of  a  want  of  interest  and  satisfaction 
in  his  services  ;  an  intimation,  at  least,  that  no 
strong  objection  will  be  made  to  his  resigning  his 
post.  Under  these  circumstances,  the  communi- 
cation from  Brattle  Street  simply  induced  Mr. 
Thacher  to  do  at  once  what  he  had  for  some  time 
felt  he  should  ultimately  be  compelled  to  do,  — 
ask  a  dismission  from  his  people.  He  asked  that 
dismission,  and  was  then  invited  to  settle  here. 
In  the  subsequent  negotiations  between  this  so- 
ciety and  the  parish  in  Maiden,  looked  at  in  a 
proper  light,  there  is  nothing  to  censure.  What 
was  the  pecuniary  ability  of  the  society  in  Mai- 
den at  that  period  cannot  now  be  ascertained  ; 
but  clearly  it  was  not  a  rich  society,  or  it  would 
not  have  been  in  such  arrears  to  its  minister. 
Our  society  had  ample  means.  The  Maiden  par- 
ish had  sustained  a  loss,  —  a  loss  which  it  would 
have  had  to  sustain  probably  in  a  few  months  ;  but 
the  time  was  hastened  by  the  action  of  this  parish. 
It  needed  aid,  or  it  would  not  have  asked  for  it, 
or  accepted  it.  This  society  was  able  to  give  it, 
and  did  give  it.  The  whole  thing  was  merely 
the  expression  of  sympathy  and  aid  from  a  strong 
society  to  a  weaker  one,  and  in  the  giving  and  in 

10 


146  THE    HISTORY    OF 

the  receiving  of  it  there  was  nothing  unchristian 
or  unworthy.  Both  societies,  and  the  descend- 
ants of  all  the  parties  concerned,  may  look  back 
upon  this  whole  transaction  with  no  feelings  of 
shame  or  mortification. 

Notwithstanding  these  unpleasant  circumstances 
connected  with  his  removal  from  Maiden,  Dr. 
Thacher  entered  upon  his  ministry  here  with  the 
most  favorable  regard  of  the  whole  parish  and  of 
the  town,  and  during  the  seventeen  years  of  its 
continuance,  the  society  was  eminently  peaceful 
and  prosperous. 

I  do  not  find  in  the  records  much  that  it  would 
be  particularly  interesting  to  notice. 

In  August,  1792,  "some  proposals  were  made 
by  members  of  the  church  to  vary  its  proceedings 
as  to  the  mode  of  admitting  to  ordinances."  It 
is  not  stated  what  these  proposals  were.  We 
are  left  to  infer  their  character  from  the  votes 
passed  at  a  meeting  held  four  weeks  later,  to  con- 
sider and  act  upon  them.  These  votes  are  as 
follows:  —  "That  no  more  explicit  confession 
of  sin  should  be  required  of  any  person,  as  a  term 
of  admission  to  either  of  the  ordinances,  than  is 
expressed  in  the  covenant  used  in  this  church  on 
admission  thereto  "  ;  and,  u  That  the  admission  of 
members  to  full  communion  be  in  future  confined 
to  the  church,  without  their  being  propounded  to 
the  congregation."     A   proposition  that  persons 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  147 

who  had  renewed  their  baptismal  covenant,  upon 
standing  propounded  for  one  month  and  no  objec- 
tion being  made,  should  be  considered  members 
of  the  church  in  full  communion,  without  any 
further  or  new  profession  of  their  faith,  was  in- 
definitely postponed.  Thus  it  would  appear  that 
the  proposals  were  in  behalf  of  greater  liberty  in 
regard  to  the  administration  of  the  ordinances  ; 
that  two  of  them  were  granted,  and  a  third  was 
refused. 

During  Dr.  Thacher's  ministry  two  important 
changes  were  made  in  the  administration  of  the 
musical  part  of  the  services  of  public  worship, 
namely,  the  introduction  of  the  organ  and  the 
appropriation  of  money  to  encourage  and  secure 
good  singing.  The  former  was  done  by  a  vote 
of  the  parish,  passed  December  19th,  1790  ; 
the  latter,  by  a  vote  passed  in  1802.  The  intro- 
duction of  the  organ  was  not  effected  without 
considerable  opposition  and  difficulty.  The  rec- 
ords state  that  the  following  vote  was  passed 
u  nemine  contradicente  ";  namely,  "  That  an  or- 
gan be  introduced  into  this  society  as  an  assistant 
to  the  vocal  music  of  psalmody,  which  is  es- 
teemed an  important  part  of  public  worship,  pro- 
vided it  can  be  obtained  by  voluntary  subscrip- 
tion, and  without  laying  a  tax  upon  the  proprietors 
or  occupiers  of  pews  for  the  purpose."  But 
notwithstanding  no  vote  stands  recorded  against 


148  THE    HISTORY    OF 

it,  it  is  well  known  that  many  were  opposed  to 
it,  and  that  for  several  years  it  was  never  played 
but  as  an  accompaniment  to  the  singing  ;  no 
interludes  were  allowed  between  the  verses  of 
the  hymn,  and  no  symphonies  at  the  opening  and 
close  of  worship.  I  heard  it  related,  also,  shortly 
after  my  induction  to  the  pastoral  office  here,  by 
one  whose  great  age,  and  at  that  time  retentive 
memory,  gave  authority  to  the  story,  that,  when 
the  vessel  containing  the  organ  arrived  below  in 
the  harbor,  and  was  waiting  for  a  fair  wind  to 
come  up,  a  wealthy  gentleman  of  the  parish,  who 
had  refused  to  subscribe  toward  it,  waited  upon 
Dr.  Thacher,  and  offered  to  pay  into  the  treasury 
of  the  church,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor,  the 
whole  cost  of  the  organ  and  the  freight,  if  he 
would  have  it  thrown  overboard  below  the  light- 
house. The  organ  cost  five  hundred  pounds,  and 
the  expense  of  altering  the  gallery  to  put  it  up 
amounted  to  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
pounds.  The  upper  gallery,  formerly  appropri- 
ated to  colored  persons,  and  which  then  projected 
as  far  as  the  present  organ  loft,  was  carried  back  ; 
two  pillars  corresponding  to  those  on  the  sides  of 
the  church  were  removed,  and  the  two  smaller 
columns  that  now  support  the  front  gallery,  or 
organ  loft,  were  erected.  At  this  time,  also,  the 
pedestals  of  all  the  columns  were  abridged.  To 
prevent  this  being  done  by  individuals,  the  follow- 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  149 

ing  vote  had  been  passed  seventeen  years  before, 
in  July,  1773  :  —  "It  having  been  suggested 
that  the  pedestals  of  those  pillars  that  incommode 
pews  might  be  liable  to  alteration  by  the  proprie- 
tors of  such  pews,  unless  the  society  pass  some 
vote  to  prevent  it,  and  whereas  such  pews  have 
been  set  at  a  less  rate  on  account  of  said  incon- 
venience, Voted,  That  no  alteration  be  made  in 
those  pillars  or  pedestals,  nor  in  any  other  of  the 
pillars  and  pedestals  of  the  meeting-house  on  any 
pretence  whatever." 

Dr.  Thacher's  ministry  lasted  nearly  eighteen 
years.  Though  he  made  his  flock  his  first  charge, 
and  failed  in  no  duty  which  he  owed  to  them,  he 
was,  as  has  been  the  case  with  all  the  ministers 
of  this  church,  much  of  a  public  man,  taking  a 
hearty  interest  and  an  active  part  in  all  efforts 
and  enterprises  for  the  public  good.  Under  the 
accumulated  labors  which  these  involved,  his 
health  began  to  fail  at  the  opening  of  the  present 
century.  Having  suffered  much  for  some  months 
previous,  and  finding  no  relief  from  repeated  short 
respites  from  labor  and  excursions  into  the  coun- 
try, he  embarked  at  this  port  on  the  15th  of 
November,  1802,  for  Savannah,  Georgia,  in  the 
hope  that  a  winter  spent  in  the  genial  climate  of  a 
Southern  State  would  give  ultimate  relief  to  his 
disease,  —  pulmonary  consumption.  This  hope, 
however,  was  destined  to  speedy  extinction.     He 


150  THE    HISTORY    OF 

arrived  at  Savannah  on  the  3d  of  December,  and 
on  Thursday,  the  16th  of  that  month,  he  expired. 
He  was  accompanied  to  Savannah  by  his  son,  the 
late  Judge  Thacher,  whose  name  and  memory 
are  still  honored  among  us.  I  have  in  my  pos- 
session a  very  interesting  manuscript  account, 
written  by  Judge  Thacher  at  the  time,  of  the 
voyage  from  Boston,  and  of  the  last  hours  of  his 
father.  From  this  it  appears  that  he  was  re- 
ceived into  the  house  of  Samuel  Howard,  Esq., 
and  treated  with  the  utmost  kindness  and  care. 
He  was  attended  by  Dr.  Kollock,  the  most  skil- 
ful physician  of  the  place,  and  visited  by  the 
Rev.  Robert  Smith,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Savannah,  who  prayed  with  him  a  few 
hours  before  his  death,  and  preached  an  eloquent 
sermon  on  the  next  Sunday,  when  his  funeral 
obsequies  were  attended.  One  incident  is  re- 
lated, which  I  notice,  not  because  it  is  peculiar 
or  important  in  itself,  but  because  it  illustrates 
the  influence  and  confirms  the  importance  of 
early  religious  culture.  On  laying  down  for  the 
last  time,  in  the  early  part  of  the  evening,  a  (ew 
hours  before  his  death,  he  repeated  the  nursery 

prayer,  — 

"  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep, 
I  pray  the  Lord  my  soul  to  keep  ; 
If  I  should  die  before  I  wake, 
I  pray  the  Lord  my  soul  to  take  "  ; 

and  turning  to  his  son,  said,  u  My  son,  this  little 


BRATTLE    STREET    CHURCH.  151 

prayer  I  have  not  omitted  to  repeat  on  going  to 
bed  for  forty  years.  This  may  be  the  last  time. 
I  charge  you  never  to  omit  it."  There  is  noth- 
ing peculiar  in  this  incident.  It  is  related  of  a 
great  many  persons,  and  it  has  occurred  probably 
innumerable  times  when  it  has  not  been  related. 
I  notice  it  merely  because  it  shows  that  this  brief, 
comprehensive  nursery  prayer,  which  a  child's 
lips  can  utter  and  a  child's  mind  understand,  has 
been  the  stay  and  help  of  the  mos;  mature  and 
advanced  piety,  and  has  kept  alive  some  feeble 
spark  of  religion  in  many  a  seared  and  worldly 
heart. 

Dr.  Thacher's  remains  were  brorght  to  Bos- 
ton, but  did  not  arrive  until  after  the  funeral  ser- 
vices, which,  like  those  of  his  predecessor,  were 
held  by  the  parish  at  the  lecture  preceding  the 
first  communion  of  the  year.  The  sermon  was 
preached  by  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson  of  the  First 
Church,  and  the  scene  and  the  service  are  prob- 
ably distinctly  remembered  by  several  who  are 
here  present  to-day. 

Dr.  Thacher  was  born  in  Milton,  March  21st, 
1752.  His  parents  resided  usually  in  this  town, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  birth  were  only  stopping 
temporarily  in  Milton,  because  of  the  small-pox 
which  was  raging  here  ;  so  that  the  first  four  min- 
isters of  this  church  were  natives  of  this  town, 
and  two  of  them  were   raised  up  by  Providence 


152  THE    HISTORY    OF 

from  among  the  youth  of  the  congregation  itself. 
Dr.  Thacher  took  his  degree  at  Cambridge  in 
1769,  and  in  September  of  the  following  year  he 
was  settled  at  Maiden.  In  the  vigor  of  early 
manhood,  of  an  ardent  temperament,  with  high- 
toned  principles  of  liberty,  he  took  an  active  part 
in  all  the  measures  that  preceded  and  accom- 
panied our  Revolutionary  struggle.  He  was  a 
delegate  from  the  town  of  Maiden  to  the  conven- 
tion that  formed  the  State  Constitution,  and  he 
closed  the  session  of  that  convention  with  prayer. 
After  his  removal  to  this  parish,  he  soon  became 
an  active  member  of  the  various  literary  and  char- 
itable institutions  of  the  town  ;  and  for  fifteen  out 
of  the  seventeen  years  of  his  ministry  here,  he 
was  chaplain  to  one  or  both  branches  of  the  Leg- 
islature. He  received  his  degree  of  Doctor  in 
Divinity  from  Edinburgh  in  1791.  The  memory 
of  Dr.  Thacher  is  still  fresh  in  the  minds  of  some 
living,  and  we  are  aided  in  forming  an  estimate  of 
his  character  and  talents  by  the  large  number  of 
his  published  sermons  that  have  been  preserved. 
The  style  of  these  sermons,  so  far  as  I  have  had 
opportunity  to  examine  them,  is  fresh,  vigorous, 
clear,  giving  evidence  of  a  frank,  decided,  inde- 
pendent mind,  that  had  no  object  but  truth,  and 
no  purpose  but  to  express  it  honestly  and  strong- 
ly. From  his  first  settlement  in  Maiden,  which 
occurred  in  his  nineteenth  year,  and  through  life, 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  153 

he  sustained  a  high  reputation  as  a  preacher.  In 
a  memoir  of  him,  which  appeared  in  the  eighth 
volume  of  the  Collections  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society,  the  first  volume  published  after 
his  death,  it  is  said,  that  "  no  young  man  ever 
preached  to  such  crowded  assemblies,"  and  that 
"  Whitefield  called  him  the  young  Elijah."  The 
following  passages  from  this  memoir  may  help  us 
to  form  some  further  idea  of  his  character  :  — 

u  There  were  manifested  indications  of  a  seri- 
ous mind  when  he  was  very  young,  so  that  it 
was  observed  concerning  him,  that  he  never 
was  a  child.  He  certainly  preferred  books  of 
piety  and  the  conversation  of  persons  older  than 
himself  to  the  diversions  of  the  childish  age. 
An  uncommon  gravity  of  deportment,  and  meas- 
ured periods  of  discourse,  in  which  it  is  said  he 
imitated  his  father's  manner,  drew  the  attention  of 
others,  and  became  the  subject  of  their  remark. 
It  was  then  predicted  that  he  would  be  a  preach- 
er, and  add   another  of  the  name  to  the  list  of 

worthies  whose  praise  was  in  the  churches 

He  early  composed  sermons  and  essays.  Di- 
vinity was  his  favorite  study.  He  was  more 
fond  of  visiting  the  schools  of  the  prophets  than 
walking  in  academic  groves,  and  eagerly  looked 
forward  to  the  time  when  he  should  display  his 
eloquence  and  evangelical  zeal  in  the  pulpit.  He 
was  more  qualified  to  appear  as  a  divine  when  he 


154  THE    HISTORY    OF 

received  his  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  than 
many  who  have  studied  theology  through  a  long 

course  of  years 

11  It  would  be  wrong  to  omit  certain  traits  in 
the  character  of  Dr.  Thacher  which  show  his 
moral  worth.  He  was  a  man  of  singular  integ- 
rity. A  stranger  to  artifice  and  deceit,  he  could 
not  disguise  his  feelings,  but  expressed  often  his 
disapprobation  of  them  in  others.  He  preferred 
to  have  his  manners  styled  rough  and  his  plainness 
of  speech  censured  by  his  acquaintance,  rather 
than  be  thought  capable  of  duplicity  in  his  words 
and  actions,  —  a  polite  address,  an  unassuming 
air,  a  winning  manner,  have  their  attractions,  but 

nothing  can  make  up  for  want  of  honesty 

As  a  friend,  he  had  the  confidence  of  those 
who  knew  him  ;  those  who  were  most  intimate 
will  preserve  in  their  memories  the  tokens  of  his 
affection  and  kindness.  If,  in  the  exuberance  of 
unguarded  familiarity,  he  said  any  thing  to  hurt 
their  feelings,  it  gave  him  pain,  for  he  meant  not 
to  be  uncourteous.  His  talents  for  conversation 
were  remarkable.  Some  have  thought  he  exerted 
these  too  often,  and  in  public  speaking  took  too 
large  a  share  of  the  debate  ;  but  when  he  had  been 
too  slow  to  hear  and  quick  to  speak,  he  was  sen- 
sible of  his  error,  and  disposed  to  make  either  a 
serious  or  facetious  apology.  He  was  fond  of 
anecdotes,  especially  such  as  illustrated  the  man- 


BRATTLE    STREET    CHURCH.  155 

ners  of  New  England.  In  the  history  of  Massa- 
chusetts, civil  and  ecclesiastical,  he  was  more 
than  commonly  versed,  having  read  it  from  his 
childhood,  and  also  that  part  of  the  history  of 
England  which  exhibits  the  folly  and  tyranny  of 
the  Stuarts,  the  usurpation  of  Cromwell,  and  the 
brief  authority  of  the  Commonwealth.  The  es- 
says, sermons,  and  memoirs  of  those  times,  he 
could  quote,  from  the  manly  testimonies  of  Lud- 
low to  the  crude  excrescences  of  Goodwin  and 
Hugh  Peters." 

In  early  life,  Dr.  Thacher's  religious  opinions 
were  rigidly  Calvinistic,  but  gradually  became 
more  and  more  Arminian.?  During  his  latter 
years  he  was  ranked  among  the  conservative,  but 
liberal  clergy  of  his  day,  and  "stood,"  says  Dr. 
Palfrey,  "  on  ground  like  that  of  the  late  Dr. 
Osgood  and  Dr.  Lathrop,"  of  the  former  of 
whom  I  have  heard  it  related,  that  he  described 
his  position  by  saying  that  his  pulpit  was  five 
miles  from  Cambridge  and  fifteen  from  Andover, 
and  that,  theologically,  he  held  about  the  same 
relation  to  the  Divinity  Schools  of  the  two  places. 

Mr.  Emerson,  in  the  sermon  preached  at  his 
funeral  obsequies,  a  kw  passages  from  which  will 
give  us  some  idea  of  the  estimation  in  which  he 
was  held  by  his  contemporaries,  says  of  him, 
"  He  was  illustrious  for  his  natural  powers.  ^His 
soul  was  lodged   in  a  person  possessing  the  ad- 


156  THE    HISTORY    OF 

vantages  of  a  noble  stature,  a  commanding  mien, 
a  full  and  steady  eye,  a  countenance  pleasing  and 
expressive,  a  mouth  formed  for  ready  utterance, 
and  a  voice  of  wonderful  sweetness,  variety,  and 
strength.  With  these  qualities  of  body,  so  emi- 
nently useful  to  a  public  speaker,  the  Father  of 
Lights  had  united  a  sound  understanding,  a  fancy 
of  uncommon  sprightliness,  a  tenacious  memory, 
and  a  correct  judgment.  He  was  illustrious  for 
his  gift  of  extempore  prayer.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  melody  of  his  tones  awoke  his  own  devotion, 
and  imparted  life  to  all  who  joined  him  in  the 
sacred  service.  No  concourse  was  so  numerous, 
no  case  so  intricate,  no  occasion  so  sudden,  as  to 
produce  apparent  confusion  in  his  thoughts,  or  the 
smallest  hesitation  in  utterance.  He  had  a  fac- 
ulty of  waiving  and  resuming  at  pleasure  the  sub- 
ject of  petition,  and  of  waiting,  so  to  speak,  for 
the  moment  of  inspiration  to  amplify  and  entreat. 
u  He  was  illustrious  for  his  success.  In  the 
course  of  his  ministry,  and  especially  since  his 
residence  in  the  metropolis,  his  labors  have  been 
greatly  blessed.  This  is  evidenced  by  the  num- 
ber of  communicants  in  this  church,  by  his  very 
acceptable  visits  in  the  chambers  of  the  sick  and 
the  dying,  and  by  his  praise  which  is  in  the  Gos- 
pel throughout  all  our  churches.  His  useful  ser- 
vices were  not  confined  to  the  church.  Nothing 
patriotic,  nothing  humane,  was  foreign  to  his  feel- 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  157 

ings.  He  successfully  pleaded  the  cause  of  the 
poor  in  the  ear  of  the  rich,  as  well  as  before  the 
throne  of  Almighty  compassion.  He  interested 
himself  in  schemes  of  private  beneficence  and 
public  utility,  which  his  acquaintance  with  the 
wise  and  powerful  enabled  him  essentially  to 
serve.  In  the  state  he  was  the  uniform  and 
influential  supporter  of  rational  liberty.  Equally 
the  foe  of  licentiousness  and  oppression,  he  em- 
ployed his  talents  as  opportunity  presented  in  de- 
feating the  machinations  of  wicked,  and  supporting 
the  measures  of  upright  and  consistent  rulers.  In 
short,"  says  Mr.  Emerson,  "his  activity,  punc- 
tuality, and  faithfulness  in  discharging  his  pastoral 
duties,  his  reverence  for  the  Lord's  day  and  the 
Lord's  house,  his  labors  in  the  cause  of  human 
institutions,  his  concern  ana1  endeavors  for  the 
propagation  of  our  holy  religion,  the  interest  he 
took  in  the  increasing  usefulness  and  reputation  of 
our  University,  his  aids  in  furthering  the  progress 
of  the  arts  and  sciences  generally,  and  his  wishes, 
his  writings,  and  his  prayers  in  behalf  of  the  inde- 
pendence, liberty,  peace,  and  glory  of  our  beloved 
America,  are  so  many  proofs  of  the  worth  and 
brilliancy  of  his  example." 

The  man  of  whom  his  contemporaries  spoke 
thus,  must  have  had  intellectual  and  moral  attri- 
butes of  no  ordinary  stamp,  and  when  we  remem- 
ber  that   the  ministry  of  Dr.   Thacher   covered 


158  HISTORY    OF    BRATTLE    STREET    CHURCH. 

"  the  most  depressed  and  perilous  period  which 
religion  has  ever  witnessed  in  New  England,  — 
the  period  of  the  French  Revolution,"  and  con- 
sider that  during  this  period  this  church  was 
peaceful  and  prosperous,  spiritually  alive  and  ear- 
nest, that  the  strong  minds  and  warm  hearts  that 
gathered  here  were  baptized  into  the  spirit  of  the 
Gospel,  kept  within  the  fold  of  Christ  by  the 
faithful  labors  and  quickening  powers  of  the  pas- 
tor, we  shall  readily  come  to  the  conclusion,  that 
among  the  w7ise  and  good  and  devoted  men  who 
have  stood  in  this  desk,  not  least  to  be  honored 
and  cherished  stands  the  name  and  the  memory 
of  Peter  Thacher. 

Brattle  Street,  March  24th,  1850. 


SERMON    V. 


HE    WAS    A    BURNING    AND    A    SHINING     LIGHT. John  V.  35. 

In  our  review  of  the  history  of  this  church,  we 
have  now  reached  a  period  distinctly  within  the 
personal  recollections  of  many  who  hear  me. 
Dr.  Thacher  died  December  16th,  1802.  Early 
in  the  following  year,  the  society  invited  the  Rev. 
William  Ellery  Channing  "  to  preach  with  them 
on  probation,  with  a  view  to  settle  with  them  as 
their  pastor."  He  declined  the  invitation,  on  the 
ground  that  his  health  would  not  permit  him  to 
take  charge  of  so  large  a  parish,  or  preach  in  so 
large  a  church.  He  subsequently  accepted  the 
invitation  of  the  society  in  Federal  Street,  which 
at  that  time  was  a  less  numerous  congregation, 
with  a  small  church.  The  growth  and  prosperity 
of  that  society  under  the  distinguished  ministry  of 
Dr.  Channing  are  facts  within  the  memory  of 
many  present.  Early  in  the  autumn  of  1803,  the 
society  invited  the  Rev.  Abiel  Abbott,  who  had 
recently  been  dismissed  from  the  pastoral  charge 


160  THE    HISTORY    OF 

of  the  First  Church  in  Haverhill,  to  preach  here 
four  Sabbaths  as  a  candidate  for  settlement. 
This  invitation  was  declined,  Dr.  Abbott  having 
previously  accepted  an  invitation  to  settle  in  Bev- 
erly, where  he  had  a  long,  harmonious,  and  emi- 
nently useful  ministry. 

The  pulpit  was  supplied  by  various  temporary 
arrangements,  till  November,  1804,  when  Joseph 
Stevens  Buckminster  was  engaged  to  preach  four 
Sabbaths  as  a  candidate,  at  the  expiration  of 
which,  on  the  9th  of  December,  he  was  invited 
to  take  charge  of  the  parish  as  its  pastor.  This 
invitation  was  accepted  in  a  letter  dated  Decem- 
ber 23d,  which  some  of  you  may  like  to  hear. 
In  directness,  simplicity,  and  comprehensiveness, 
it  might  serve  as  a  model  for  letters  of  the  kind. 

"  To   the   Committee   of  the    Society  in 
Brattle   Street:  — 

u  Gentlemen,  — No  rule  of  propriety  or  del- 
icacy requires  me  to  forbear  all  expression  of 
pleasure  at  testimonies  of  approbation  and  good- 
will which  have  marked  the  proceedings  of  your 
society  ;  neither  am  I  sensible  of  any  advantages 
which  would  result  from  a  longer  delay  of  an 
answer  to  an  invitation  adopted  with  such  unanim- 
ity and  recommended  by  such  encouragements. 

"  But  while  I  give  you  this  early  intimation 
that  I  have  concluded  to  accept  your  proposals, 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  161 

I  should  be  unfaithful  to  myself  and  to  you  if  I 
did  not  express  my  apprehension  that  you  will  be 
called  to  overlook  many  deficiencies  and  excuse 
many  mistakes  in  one  whom  youth  and  consequent 
inexperience,  united  with  precarious  health,  will 
ask  for  all  the  indulgence  which  his  past  inter- 
course with  you  encourages  him  to  expect. 

u  If,  in  the  course  of  events,  a  favorable  oppor- 
tunity should  occur  of  associating  with  me  another 
pastor,  much  of  our  mutual  anxiety  might  be  re- 
lieved, and  the  interests  of  a  numerous  societv 
judiciously  consulted.  But  if  the  cause  of  Christ 
here  should  not  be  found  to  suffer  from  the  insuffi- 
ciency of  my  single  efforts,  I  trust  T  shall  be  dis- 
posed to  thank  God,  in  whose  strength  alone  the 
weak  are  strong,  in  whose  wisdom  the  inexperi- 
enced are  wise,  and  with  whose  blessing  the  most 
feeble  labors  will  not  prove  unsuccessful.  If 
God  should  spare  my  life,  I  hope  some  of  its  most 
cheering  and  permanent  consolations  will  be  found 
in  the  uninterrupted  harmony,  the  increasing  affec- 
tion, and  the  spiritual  improvement  of  this  large 
society.  To  instruct  the  ignorant,  to  reclaim  the 
wandering,  to  impress  the  insensible,  to  console 
the  afflicted,  to  reconcile  the  alienated,  to  declare 
the  whole  counsel  of  God,  and  at  the  same  time 
to  give  no  offence  in  any  thing  that  the  ministry 
be  not  blamed,  are  duties  which  no  pastor  can 
even  partially  perform,  unless  encouraged  by  your 

11 


162  THE    HISTORY    OF 

utmost  charity,  and  aided  by  your  public  and  pri- 
vate prayers.  For  these,  then,  I  ask  ;  and  may 
that  God  who  has  hitherto  blessed  the  religious 
interests  of  your  society  in  granting  you  a  succes- 
sion of  luminaries,  whose  light  has  not  yet  de- 
parted, though  their  orbs  have  set,  continue  to 
build  you  up  in  faith,  charity,  purity,  and  peace, 
and  give  you  at  last  an  inheritance  among  them 
that  are  sanctified. 

"  J.    S.   BUCKMINSTER." 

Mr.  Buckminster  was  ordained  on  Wednesday, 
the  30th  of  January,  1805,  his  father,  Rev.  Dr. 
Buckminster  of  Portsmouth,  preaching  the  ser- 
mon. But  the  hopes  of  that  day  were  destined 
to  a  sudden  temporary  disappointment.  The 
fatigue  and  agitation  of  the  Ordination  were  more 
than  his  delicate  health  and  easily  excited  sensi- 
bilities could  bear.  The  following  Sunday  found 
him  prostrate  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  and  for  sev- 
eral weeks  he  was  too  ill  to  preach.  On  com- 
mencing his  labors  in  the  pulpit,  towards  the  end 
of  March,  instead  of  those  appropriate  discourses 
usually  expected  from  a  pastor  newly  inducted, 
he  preached  that  sermon  on  the  advantages  of 
sickness,  which  subsequently  appeared  in  the  first 
volume  of  his  printed  sermons,  and  which  has 
probably  been  read  with  as  much  profit,  and  given 
as  much  instruction  and  consolation,  as  any  one  of 
his  discourses. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  163 

The  events  and  proceedings  of  the  parish  of 
any  historical  interest  during  Mr.  Buckminster's 
ministry  were  few  and  simple,  and  may  be  brief- 
ly stated.  About  the  time  of  his  settlement, 
the  practice  of  carrying  round  boxes  in  church  to 
collect  the  taxes  was  discontinued,  and  the  pres- 
ent mode  of  collecting  them  adopted.  In  con- 
formity with  the  principle  of  the  original  Mani- 
festo of  1699,  which  principle  perhaps  had  fallen 
into  disuse  or  been  violated,  it  was  voted, 
"That,  in  the  settlement  of  a  minister,  all  who 
statedly  attend  public  worship  and  contribute  to 
the  support  of  a  minister,  in  the  parish  in  Brat- 
tle Street,  have  a  right  to  vote."  In  1805,  the 
congregation  of  the  Old  South  Church,  upon 
invitation  of  this  society,  worshipped  here  during 
repairs  made  upon  their  church.  In  1806,  the 
church  established  the  rule,  u  that,  for  any  one 
wishing  to  come  to  the  communion,  it  was  suffi- 
cient if  his  name  stood  mentioned  or  propounded 
from  one  meeting  of  the  church  to  another."  In 
1807,  the  question  of  a  new  hymn-book  was  agi- 
tated, and  resulted  in  continuing  Tate  and  Brady, 
with  an  addition  prepared  by  Mr.  Buckminster. 
This  addition,  exactly  as  prepared  by  him,  consti- 
tutes the  second  part  of  the  hymn-book  now  in  use. 
In  1  809,  a  new  bell,  weighing  three  thousand  four 
hundred  and  sixty-nine  pounds,  was  imported  from 
London  for  the  society's  use,  at  an  expense  of 


164  THE    HISTORY    OF 

over  two  thousand  dollars,  which  was  defrayed 
by  subscription.  The  clock  on  the  west  gallery 
was  put  up  in  1811,  and  was  the  gift  of  the  Hon. 
Mr.  Bowdoin.  In  1811,  Mr.  Buckminster,  on  his 
own  authority,  resumed  the  primitive  practice  of 
giving  certificates  of  regular  standing  and  recom- 
mendation to  those  who  wished  to  connect  them- 
selves with  other  churches,  without  calling  the 
church  together  to  vote  such  certificate.  In 
relation  to  this  Mr.  Buckminster  makes  the  fol- 
lowing entry  in  the  records:  —  "  In  giving  Mr. 
Samuel  Cooper  Thacher  his  recommendation  to 
the  fellowship  of  the  church  with  which  he  was 
to  be  connected,  I  did  not  think  it  necessary  to 
call  the  church  together,  as  this  is  directly  con- 
trary to  the  practice  vindicated  by  the  founders  of 
our  church,  and  is  entirely  unnecessary.  In  the 
present  case  I  was  the  more  willing  to  establish 
this  precedent,  as  there  could  be  no  doubt  of  the 
great  affection  and  esteem  borne  to  Mr.  Thacher, 
in  whose  settlement  among  us  I  most  cordially 
rejoice."  In  the  spring  of  1806,  Mr.  Buckmin- 
ster, being  worn  down  by  his  labors,  the  terrible 
malady  to  which  he  was  subject  sensibly  increas- 
ing in  the  frequency  and  violence  of  its  attacks, 
the  society,  never  wanting  in  generous  kindness 
to  their  ministers,  sent  him  abroad  for  relaxation 
and  travel.  He  was  absent  more  than  fifteen 
months,  visiting  all  parts  of  Great  Britain  and  the 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  165 

most  interesting  places  on  the   continent  of  Eu- 
rope.    He  returned   in   September,    1807,   with 
improved  health,  though  still  subject  to  attacks  of 
his   disease.       Resuming   his  labors,    he  devoted 
himself  with   unwearied   diligence   and  fidelity  to 
the    duties   of  his  office,   to   the  cause  of  sound 
learning,  of  pure  piety,  and  all  the  best  interests, 
not  only  of  his   society,  but   of  the  whole   com- 
munity,  till    June,    1812,   when,   on    the  9th   of 
that    month,    after    a    brief  illness,    he    died,    to 
the   deep  sorrow  of  many   hearts,  who   have  not 
yet  ceased  to  cherish  his  memory  and  regret  his 
loss.     It  will  be  seen  from  this  brief  statement  of 
facts,  that  no  public  changes  or  events  of  impor- 
tance occurred  in  our  history  during  this  period, 
and   that  its  chief  interest  is  connected  with  the 
personal  fortunes,  life,  character,  and  ministry  of 
Mr.    Buckminster.       Upon    these   I   would  now 
offer  a  few  remarks   for  our   instruction   and  im- 
provement. 

Mr.  Buckminster  was  born,  as  is  well  known, 
probably,  to  all  of  you,  in  Portsmouth,  in  May, 
17S4.  Had  he  been  living,  he  would  have  been 
just  completing  at  this  time  his  sixty-sixth  year,  an 
age  at  which  many  men  are  in  the  full  vigor  of  all 
their  powers,  and  at  the  height  of  their  usefulness 
and  honor.  It  is  necessary,  I  think,  to  consider 
this  to  form  a  just  appreciation  of  the  loss  which 
the  community  sustained  in  his  early  death.     On 


166  THE    HISTORY    OF 

reading  his  life,  and  closing  the  history  of  his 
brief,  but  glorious  career,  I  have  often  said  to 
myself,  "  Had  Mr.  Buckminster  lived  the  allot- 
ted age  of  man,  and  enjoyed  the  usual  measure  of 
health  and  strength,  with  his  extraordinary  intel- 
lectual powers,  his  enlarged  and  ever-increasing 
learning,  his  clear,  practical  wisdom,  his  deep- 
toned  and  earnest  piety,  as  free  from  cant  and 
morbid  enthusiasm  as  from  coldness  and  indiffer- 
ence, his  persuasive  and  commanding  eloquence, 
his  peculiar  talent  at  reaching  the  heart,  the  con- 
science, the  judgment  of  others,  and  giving  a  direc- 
tion and  guidance  to  their  purposes  and  efforts,  — 
had  he  lived  with  all  these  intellectual  gifts  and 
spiritual  graces  enlarging  and  increasing  with  his 
years,  how  much  good  he  would  have  done,  how 
great,  how  extensive  and  beneficial,  would  have 
been  his  influence  !  How  many  erratic  minds 
would  have  been  checked  in  their  wanderings  by 
intercourse  with  his  progressive,  yet  clear  and  sta- 
ble mind  !  How  many  speculations,  vain  and  idle, 
that  have  arisen  to  mislead  the  simple,  the  conceit- 
ed, and  the  half-educated,  would  have  been  crushed 
by  the  superior  learning  and  the  clear,  calm,  pene- 
trating criticism  which  he  would  have  brought  to 
bear  upon  them  !  How  different,  probably,  would 
have  been  the  condition  and  character,  the  fea- 
tures and  tendency,  of  the  religious  denomination 
with  which  he  was  connected  !     What  an  impress 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  167 

of  himself  would  he  have  left  upon  the  morals  and 
manners,  the  habits  of  thought  and  action,  the 
religion,  the  learning,  and  the  philanthropy  of  the 
last  forty  years  !  "  But  such  speculations  are  vain, 
if  not  sinful.  God  taketh  care  of  every  genera- 
tion, and  meets  every  emergency  of  human  affairs 
in  his  own  way.  It  may  be  that  what  we  call  a 
loss  was  in  fact  a  gain,  and  that  through  what  has 
been  written  about  him,  and  what  was  written  by 
him  and  has  since  been  published  and  diffused,  the 
declaration  of  Scripture  concerning  Abel,  u  He, 
being  dead,  yet  speaketh,"  has  had  a  fulfilment 
beyond  the  reality,  beyond  all  the  conceptions 
we  can  form  of  the  influence  he  would  have  ex- 
erted and  the  good  he  would  have  done,  had  his 
life  been  prolonged. 

In  his  case,  Providence  seems  intentionally  to 
have  provided  a  compensation  for  his  sudden,  and 
to  our  judgment  premature  death,  in  the  early 
development  and  quick  maturity  of  his  powers. 
Scarcely  had  the  earliest  years  of  infancy  passed 
before  he  gave  decided  indications  of  extraordina- 
ry intellectual  gifts,  and  of  moral  and  religious  ele- 
ments of  character,  such  as  to  impress  even  stran- 
gers with  the  conviction  that  he  was  a  remarkable 
child,  and  would  be  a  marked  and  distinguished 
man.  What  Dr.  Kirkland  said  of  Fisher  Ames 
is  particularly  true  of  him,  —  "  He  did  not  need 
the  smart  of  guilt  to  make  him  virtuous,  nor  the 


168  THE    HISTORY    OF 

regret  of  folly  to  make  him  wise."  He  was  in- 
stinctively moral  and  religious  ;  in  his  earliest 
childhood,  and  all  through  his  childhood,  there 
was  a  deep  current  of  faith  and  piety  running 
through  all  his  thoughts  and  feelings,  a  constant 
recognition  and  sympathy  in  his  mind  with  the 
truths  and  objects  of  religion.  Those  evil  pas- 
sions and  impulses,  those  wavering  propensities 
and  dispositions,  which  in  most  children  awaken 
so  much  parental  anxiety,  and  demand  such  con- 
stant watchfulness  and  discipline,  seem  in  him  to 
have  been  at  once  subdued  and  controlled  by  the 
presence  of  the  strong,  decided,  mature  piety  of 
a  man  in  the  heart  of  a  little  child.  The  record 
of  Mr.  Buckminster's  childhood,  always  some- 
what known,  has  just  been  most  fully  laid  before 
us,  in  the  memoir  by  his  sister,  Mrs.  Lee  ;  and  I 
know  of  no  record  of  childhood  that  authorizes 
us  to  apply  with  more  strength  and  emphasis  the 
declaration  of  Scripture  concerning  one  of  the 
prophets  of  old,  —  "  He  was  sanctified  from  his 
youth  up."  The  promise  of  his  early  childhood 
was  fulfilled  by  his  career  at  school  and  at  col- 
lege. Here  he  was  a  striking  u  example  of  the 
possible  connection  of  the  most  splendid  genius 
with  the  most  regular  and  persevering  industry,  of 
a  generous  independence  of  character  with  a  per- 
fect respect  for  the  governors  of  the  College,  and 
of  a  keen  relish  for  innocent   enjoyment  with  a 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  169 

fixed  dread  of  every  shadow  of  vice."  *  He 
took  his  degree  at  Cambridge  in  1800,  a  few- 
months  after  his  sixteenth  birth-day,  and  thus 
"  left  the  University  with  an  unspotted  fame  and 
its  highest  literary  honors  at  an  age  when  most  are 
entering  upon  collegiate  duties."  After  leaving 
college,  he  was  for  two  years  assistant  teacher  in 
Exeter  Academy,!  and  subsequently  private  tutor 

*  Thacher's  Memoir. 

t  "  At  this  time  he  had  the  honor  and  privilege  of  being 
the  instructor  of  Daniel  Webster.  Mr.  Webster,  in  a  manu- 
script memoir  of  his  early  life,  says,  — '  My  first  lessons  in 
Latin  were  recited  to  Joseph  Stevens  Buckminster,  at  that 
time  an  assistant  at  the  Academy.  I  made  tolerable  progress 
in  all  the  branches  I  attended  to  under  his  instruction,  but 
there  was  one  thing  I  could  not  do,  —  I  could  not  make  a 
declamation,  I  could  not  speak  before  the  school.  The  kind 
and  excellent  Buckminster  especially  sought  to  persuade  me 
to  perform  the  exercise  of  declamation  like  the  other  boys, 
but  I  could  not  do  it.  Many  a  piece  did  I  commit  to  memory 
and  rehearse  in  my  own  room,  over  and  over  again;  but 
when  the  day  came,  when  the  school  collected,  when  my 
name  was  called,  and  I  saw  all  eyes  turned  upon  my  seat,  I 
could  not  raise  myself  from  it.  Sometimes  the  masters 
frowned,  sometimes  they  smiled.  Mr.  Buckminster  always 
pressed  and  entreated,  with  the  most  winning  kindness,  that 
I  would  only  venture  once  ;  but  I  could  not  command  suf- 
ficient resolution,  and  when  the  occasion  was  over  I  went 
home  and  wept  bitter  tears  of  mortification.' 

"  What  interesting  thoughts  does  this  description  excite, 
with  all  the  gathered  associations  of  so  many  years  !  The 
youthful  teacher  winning  the  future  statesman  to  exert  that 
unsuspected  power  which  has  since  had  such  wide-spread 
and  powerful  influence.     Did  he  discern  that  noble  intellect, 


170  THE    HISTORY    OF 

in  the  family  of  his  uncle,  the  late  Theodore  Ly- 
man, senior,  pursuing,  at  the  same  time,  however, 
his  studies  in  theology,  and  preparing  himself  for 
that  profession  which,  from  his  earliest  years,  had 
been  the  profession  of  his  choice.  His  course  of 
theological  study  was  elaborate  and  thorough, 
though  pursued  chiefly  under  his  own  direction. 
The  principle  he  adopted  —  that  of  beginning 
with  what  was  simple  and  clear,  and  gradually  pro- 
ceeding to  what  was  difficult,  doubtful,  or  dark  — 
was  one  that  fostered  independence  and  integrity 
of  mind,  and  gave  permanence  and  power  to 
whatever  opinions  he  adopted  on  deliberate  con- 
viction and  thorough  research.  After  four  years 
of  preparatory  theological  study,  during  which  he 
went  through  an  uncommonly  wide  and  extensive 
field  of  theological  investigation,  he  accepted  the 
invitation  of  this  society  to  become  its  pastor,  and 

that  exalted  genius,  then  concealed  in  the  bashful  reserve  of 
his  pupil?  The  sensibility  that  made  Webster  shrink  from 
display  would  have  indicated  to  a  penetrating  eye  the  hidden 
power ;  and  the  persevering  kindness  with  which  the  in- 
structor urged  again  and  again  that  he  would  only  venture 
once,  proves  that  he  was  conscious  there  was  much  concealed 
that  only  needed  encouragement  to  bring  out  and  make  him 
know  his  latent  power.  Mr.  Webster  was  older  than  Buck- 
minster.  Had  the  teacher  been  permitted  to  live  to  observe 
the  splendid  career  of  the  pupil,  with  what  pride  would  he 
have  looked  back  to  the  moment  when  his  youthful  voice 
soothed  and  encouraged  the  diffidence  of  one  afterwards  so 
eminent !  "  —  Memoirs  of  Buckminster,  by  Mrs.  Lee,  pp. 
114,115. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  171 

was  inducted  into  office  before  the  completion  of 
his  minority.  Of  the  harmony,  the  prosperity, 
the  spiritual  growth  and  progress  of  the  society 
during  his  ministry,  it  is  unnecessary  that  I  should 
speak.  Much  of  the  fruits  of  that  ministry  still 
abides  among  us.  Continually  have  I  witnessed 
them,  often  have  I  been  reminded  of  them,  in  my 
parochial  walks.  But  a  few  years  ago,  one  who 
has  now  gone  to  his  account,  and  the  last  years 
of  whose  life  were  checkered  by  various  sore 
trials,  said  to  me,  in  tones  of  mournful  earnestness 
and  sincerity,  —  "I  received  my  strongest  and 
deepest  religious  impressions  from  Mr.  Buckmin- 
ster.  He  was  the  first  person  who  woke  up  my 
soul  to  a  sense  of  the  grandeur  and  responsibility 
of  its  destiny,  and  made  me  feel  that  religion  was 
important,  —  had  a  reality.  I  have  had  many 
trials  to  bear,  some  sad  reverses,  some  bitter 
bereavements  to  meet,  and  if  I  have  had  faith  to 
bear  them  with  tolerable  patience  and  fortitude, 
—  if  I  have  had  strength  and  peace  and  an  im- 
mortal hope  to  cheer  me,  —  I  owe  it  all,  under 
God,  to  him  ;  and  even  to  this  day,  Brattle  Street 
Church  is  more  associated  with  him  in  my  mind 
than  it  is  with  you,  or  with  any  other  preacher. 
Scarcely  a  Sunday  passes,  that  my  thoughts  do 
not  revert  to  him,  that  his  image  does  not  rise 
up  before  me  at  some  time  during  the  service." 
Others,  doubtless,  could  make  the  same  declara- 


172  THE    HISTORY    OF 

tion,  bear  the  same  testimony.  And  the  min- 
istry that  left  this  strong  and  durable  impress  of 
itself  upon  so  many  hearts  lasted  but  seven  years 
and  five  months, — the  name  that  is  among  the 
most  illustrious  in  the  American  pulpit  belonged 
to  a  young  man  who  died  before  he  reached  the 
age  at  which  most  eminent  men  are  just  beginning 
to  be  known.  Many  years  ago,  when  I  was  a 
student  in  theology  myself,  I  remember  asking  a 
contemporary  and  friend  of  Mr.  Buckminster,  — 
a  brother  of  the  same  profession,  one  who  knew 
him  well  and  loved  him  much,  —  what  was  the 
secret  of  his  success,  —  of  his  power.  To  which 
he  replied,  "  Have  you  ever  read  his  sermons  ?" 
I  answered,  "  Yes,  and  I  admit  them  to  be  ex- 
cellent, admirable,  very  striking,  impressive  ser- 
mons ;  but  they  do  not  seem  to  me  to  explain 
and  account  for  all  the  enthusiasm  with  which  you 
and  those  who  knew  him  speak  of  him,  —  the 
deep  reverence  and  affection  with  which  you  all 
cherish  his  name  and  memory."  At  this  distance 
of  time,  I  cannot  recall  his  precise  words,  but  the 
substance  of  what  he  said  at  some  length,  in  reply, 
was  as  follows  :  —  u  To  judge  of  Mr.  Buckmin- 
ster's  sermons  and  properly  appreciate  them,  one 
must  review  the  preaching  of  the  thirty  or  forty 
years  previous,  and  make  himself  familiar  with 
its  general  characteristics,  both  as  to  the  topics 
selected  and  mode  and  style  of  treatment.     He 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  173 

will  perceive  that,  with  a  kw  exceptions,  the 
preaching  of  that  period  was  dry,  technical,  for- 
mal. It  was  the  anatomy  of  the  bones  of  religion, 
exhibited  in  a  carefully  prepared,  but  lifeless, 
skeleton.  Mr.  Buckminster  introduced  the  living 
form  into  the  pulpit  in  all  its  beauty,  freshness, 
and  strength,  and  showed  its  practical  uses  and 
power.  Let  any  one  read  a  dozen  of  the  ordinary 
sermons  of  that  period,  and  then  read  Mr.  Buck- 
minster, and  he  will  get  some  idea  of  the  life  and 
freshness  and  reality  which  he  imparted  to  the 
services  of  the  pulpit,  and  will  not  be  surprised 
at  the  impression  his  preaching  produced,  —  es- 
pecially when  he  takes  into  the  account  the  felici- 
ty of  his  manner,  the  glory  of  his  speaking  eye, 
and  the  rich  pathos  of  his  voice.  He  will  under- 
stand how  it  was,  and  why  it  was,  that  the  most 
refined  and  least  cultivated  equally  hung  upon  his 
lips,  and  that  all  classes,  the  young,  the  mature, 
the  aged,  listened  with  wonder  and  delight,  — 
were  at  once  charmed,  instructed,  and  improved." 
ct  Still,"  he  continued,  cc  I  am  not  surprised 
at  your  question.  It  has  often  been  asked  me  ; 
and  I  admit,  that  Mr.  Buckminster's  sermons 
alone  do  not  explain  to  those  who  never  knew 
him  the  impression  he  made  upon  the  community, 
and  the  enthusiastic  reverence  and  affection  cher- 
ished for  him  by  his  friends.  This  is  to  be  ex- 
plained by  the  singular  beauty  and  harmony  of  his 


174  THE    HISTORY    OF 

character,  and  the  extraordinary  combination  of 
qualities  which  he  possessed.  We  have  had  men 
of  genius  and  men  of  industry  in  the  pulpit  before 
his  day,  —  men  who  were  eloquent  and  impressive 
as  preachers,  and  men  who  were  distinguished  for 
large  and  extensive  learning,  —  men  of  enthusiasm 
and  fervor,  and  men  of  prudence,  caution,  and 
good  practical  judgment,  —  men  bold  and  inde- 
pendent in  their  speculations,  and  men  desirous 
not  to  give  offence,  wise  and  careful  in  the 
changes  of  thought  and  opinion  they  endeavored 
to  introduce,  —  men  of  dignity  and  sternness,  and 
men  of  gentleness  and  sweetness  of  disposition, 

—  men  distinguished  for  one  or  other  of  these 
qualities  ;  Mr.  Buckminster  was  remarkable  for 
them  all.  In  him  they  were  singularly  combined 
and  harmonized.  He  was  a  man  of  genius,  that  is, 
of  extraordinary  natural  gifts  and  powers  ;  but  he 
united  with  them  the  most  patient  and  untiring 
industry.  He  was  a  man  of  marvellous  eloquence 
as  a  speaker  and  writer,  yet  he  was  as  remarkable, 

—  he  was  more  remarkable,  considering  his  age, 
for  his  learning,  his  profound  and  accurate  theo- 
logical and  general  scholarship,  than  for  his  elo- 
quence ;  and  the  impetus  and  direction  he  gave 
to  learning,  especially  to  theological  investigation, 
was  not  less  than  that  which  he  gave  to  religion 
in  its  practical  departments  of  piety  and  virtue. 
He  was  a  man  of  enthusiasm,  fervent  and  zealous ; 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  175 

yet  none  of  his  age  and  time  surpassed  him  in  pro- 
found, practical  wisdom,  good  sense,  and  good 
judgment.  He  had  a  bold  and  independent  mind, 
controlled  supremely  in  its  investigation  only  by  a 
love  and  reverence  for  truth  ;  and  yet  with  such  a 
respect  for  the  prejudices  or  errors  of  others,  that 
he  never  wounded  them  unnecessarily  or  purpose- 
ly. In  the  dignity  and  firmness  of  his  character, 
religion  in  its  highest  claims  was  never  compro- 
mised by  unworthy  compliances  with  fashionable 
follies  or  popular  sins  ;  while  the  sweetness  of  his 
manners,  the  instinctive  gentleness  and  kindness 
of  his  disposition,  won  for  himself  and  the  religion 
he  preached  interest,  affection,  and  respect  from 
all.  It  was  this  harmonious  combination  of  ex- 
traordinary gifts  and  qualities  that  caused  Mr* 
Buckminster  to  be  loved,  honored,  reverenced  ; 
this  explains  his  success,  the  influence  he  exert- 
ed, and  the  fond  regret  and  enduring  remem- 
brance with  which  his  name  is  still  cherished." 

This,  I  suppose,  is  the  true  explanation  to  be 
given  of  Mr.  Buckminster's  character  and  influ- 
ence. It  is  confirmed  by  all  that  we  know  of  his 
life  and  labors,  while  pastor  of  this  church.  While 
he  failed  in  no  duty  here,  and  made  this  pulpit  and 
the  sphere  of  action  immediately  connected  with 
it  always  the  first  and  the  most  important  object 
of  his  efforts,  his  heart  took  in  all  the  great  inter- 
ests of  the  community,  and  no  man  did  more  to 


176  THE    HISTORY    OF 

promote  them.  In  all  the  movements  of  his  day 
for  the  advancement  of  science,  literature,  educa- 
tion, philanthropy,  he  look  a  prominent  part,  and 
of  all  the  societies  or  institutions  formed  or  exist- 
ing for  the  promotion  0/  these  objects,  he  was 
an  active  officer  or  an  efficient  member. 

In  the  autumn  of  1811,  he  received  the  ap- 
pointment of  Lecturer  on  the  Literature  and 
Criticism  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  on  the  founda- 
tion established  by  the  late  Hon.  Samuel  Dexter, 
his  friend  and  parishioner.  Of  this  appointment 
he  was  every  way  worthy,  and  it  gave  entire  satis- 
faction to  the  public.  For  its  duties,  which  were 
to  be  discharged  without  relinquishing  his  parish, 
he  was  every  way  qualified.  But  he  thought 
otherwise.  His  honorable  ambition,  his  con- 
scientiousness, his  profound  sense  of  the  impor- 
tance and  responsibleness  of  these  duties,  urged 
him  beyond  his  strength.  He  passed  the  winter 
of  1812  in  the  most  zealous  and  indefatigable 
study,  preparing  for  his  lectures,  —  rising  two 
hours  earlier  every  morning  for  this  purpose,  — 
at  the  same  time  relaxing  none  of  his  labors  for 
his  pulpit,  some  of  the  most  eloquent  and  excel- 
lent of  his  sermons  having  been  written  at  this 
period.  To  one  so  frail,  already  subject  to  a 
fearful  malady,  the  result  of  such  intense  intel- 
lectual action  and  effort  was  what  was  dreaded 
by  some,  and  might  have  been  foreseen  by  all. 


BRATTLE    STREET    CHURCH.  177 

The  excitement  of  the  anniversary  week  of  1812, 
—  at  which  time  he  preached  the  last  sermon  he 
ever  wrote,  before  the  Society  for  the  Promotion 
of  Christian  Knowledge,  Piety,  and  Charity,  — 
succeeded,  as  it  was,  by  the  warm  and  relaxing 
weather  of  early  June,  was  too  much  for  him,  and 
overstrained  nature  gave  way.  On  Wednesday, 
the  3d  of  that  month,  he  was  seized  with  a  most 
violent  attack  of  his  disorder,  which  completely 
prostrated  his  reason,  and  made  a  total  wreck  of 
his  once  glorious  intellect.  But  his  fervent  prayer, 
offered  in  all  submission,  was  granted,  —  he  did 
not  outlive  his  faculties  and  his  usefulness.  u  The 
ruin  came  all  at  once  ;  the  shock  was  instanta- 
neous." He  was  struck  down  in  the  very  height 
of  his  fame  and  of  his  power,  for  it  is  said  that 
u  he  never  appeared  more  brilliant,  more  equal 
to  every  duty,  more  animated  and  efficient,  than 
immediately  before  his  last  illness."*  The  strug- 
gle between  life  and  death  lasted  for  one  week, 
when  he  expired,  on  Tuesday,  the  9th  of  June. 
The  funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr.  Kirk- 
land,  and  his  remains,  amid  the  tears  and  fond 
regrets  of  many  hearts,  were  deposited  in  the 
tomb  of  his  uncle,  the  late  Theodore  Lyman,  at 
Waltham.  Here  they  remained  for  thirty  years. 
On  the  12th  of  June,  1842,  they  were  removed, 

*  Thacher's  Memoir. 
12 


178  THE    HISTORY    OF 

and  deposited  in  a  beautiful  spot  at  Mount  Au- 
burn, with  appropriate  services  which  you  all 
remember,  and  a  chaste  monument  erected  over 
them,  by  the  subscriptions  of  his  friends  and  for- 
mer parishioners. #     There,  in  the  beautiful  spot 

*  This  was  an  occasion  of  much  interest  both  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Brattle  Street  society  and  to  the  friends  of  Mr. 
Buckminster  generally,  who  assembled  at  Mount  Auburn  on 
the  afternoon  of  June  12th,  1842,  where  the  remains  were 
then  deposited  with  appropriate  services,  which  were  con- 
ducted by  Dr.  Palfrey.  From  a  brief  memorandum  made  at 
the  time,  the  following  sketch  of  Dr.  Palfrey's  remarks  has 
been  prepared  :  — 

"  Dr.  Palfrey  said,  that,  since  the  form  which  lay  before 
them  had  moved  in  the  scenes  of  life,  thirty  years  had  come 
and  gone,  —  a  whole  generation  had  passed  across  the  stage. 
But  many  were  present  who  remembered  it  well  when  it  was 
animated  by  the  sainted  spirit  of  Buckminster,  —  and  many 
others  who  know  what  a  space  he  filled  in  the  view  of  his 
own  time,  and  what  an  influence  has  descended  from  him 
upon  the  times  which  have  followed.  And  they  think  their 
duty  undischarged  till  his  mortal  remains  have  been  placed 
where  the  step  of  affection  and  gratitude  may  in  all  coming 
time  visit  their  resting-place. 

"  The  time  for  eulogy,  Dr.  P.  said,  had  gone  by,  and  the 
time  for  sorrow  ;  but  it  might  not  be  inappropriate  to  the  oc- 
casion to  recall  a  few  facts.  He  referred  briefly  to  the  par- 
entage of  Mr.  Buckminster,  to  the  bright  promise  of  his  child- 
hood, to  his  pure  and  studious  youth  ;  and  said  that  in  the 
beautiful  example  of  his  college  life  his  mission  of  usefulness 
was  already  in  part  accomplished.  The  earnestness,  dili- 
gence, and  candor  of  his  theological  studies  for  four  years, 
and  the  peculiar  circumstances  under  which  they  were  pros- 
ecuted, involving  an  abandonment  of  opinions  in  which  he 
had  been  educated,   were   next  noticed ;    the  state   of  the 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  179 

where  his  remains  now  rest,  we  may  hope  that, 
for   long   years    and    for    many    generations,    his 

churches  and  the  character  of  pulpit  services  at  the  time  of 
his  entrance  upon  them  ;  the  interest  and  admiration  excited 
by  his  preaching  ;  his  settlement  in  the  church  in  Brattle 
Square;  the  injury  sustained  by  his  health  in  consequence  of 
the  assiduity  of  his  devotion  to  his  work  ;  his  absence  in 
Europe,  and  return;  his  growth  in  learning,  graces,  and  in- 
fluence; and  his  services  to  literary  and  other  public  objects, 
—  among  others,  his  contributions  to  the  Anthology,  his 
agency  in  the  foundation  of  the  Athenaeum,  and  his  zeal  and 
activity  as  an  Overseer  of  the  College. 

"  The  singular  excellence  and  efficacy  of  his  private  social 
influence  was  then  dwelt  upon.  There  was  a  fascination  in 
his  presence  altogether  peculiar;  —  in  his  person,  his  voice, 
the  expression  of  his  countenance,  his  manners,  his  conversa- 
tion. All  who  approached  felt  attracted  to  him.  All  desired 
his  friendship,  and  all  felt  that  to  be  worthy  of  it  they  must 
be  good  and  useful.  They  who  would  sympathize  with  him 
had  to  sympathize  with  all  excellent  aims  and  objects.  And 
especially,  his  elegant  attainments,  and  his  enthusiastic  love 
of  letters,  —  communicated  to  the  admiring  youth  around  him1, 
and  through  them  to  a  now  wide  circle, —  were  represented 
as  being,  more  than  any  thing  else,  the  remote  cause  of  the 
rapid  progress  of  learning  in  New  England  since  his  day,  and 
its  improved  state  in  the  present  times. 

"  Some  of  the  circumstances  of  the  sudden  access  of  his 
disease  on  Wednesday,  the  3d  of  June,  and  of  its  progress  to 
the  fatal  event,  were  related.  Dr.  P.  said  he  well  remem- 
bered how  the  tolling  of  the  bell  from  the  church-tower, 
announcing  his  departure,  seemed  to  throw  the  city  into  a 
universal  mourning  ;  he  remembered  the  weeping  crowds  in 
the  church,  and  the  sobs  from  manly  bosoms,  and  tears 
streaming  down  manly  cheeks,  among  the  groups  that  stood 


180  THE    HISTORY    OF 

name,  written  in  marble,  shall  speak  to  the  con- 
science and  the  heart  ;  and  to  all  who  love  learn- 
ing, piety,  and  virtue,  be  an  incentive  to  fidelity 

under  a  stormy  sky  around  the  grave  in  the  Chapel  burying- 
ground,  where  the  body  was  first  deposited.  It  was  present- 
ly conveyed  to  the  tomb  of  the  late  Theodore  Lyman  in 
Waltham,  whence  it  was  now  reclaimed  to  be  committed  to 
its  final  rest. 

"  We  have  chosen  that  place  of  rest,  said  Dr.  P.,  where 
we  think  that  our  friend  and  benefactor  might  have  desired 
to  lie.  Only  a  few  years  will  pass,  and  the  silent  preacher 
will  be  surrounded  here  by  a  silent  congregation.  It  will  be 
of  those  who  have  loved  him,  and  whom  he  has  loved. 
There  will  be  those  whom,  on  the  morning  of  the  resurrec- 
tion, his  loving  spirit  will  joy  to  clasp  in  a  reunion  never 
then  to  be  dissolved.  There  will  be  those  once  accustomed 
to  hang  on  his  eloquent  lips,  and  for  whom  he  kindled  or 
quickened  that  hope  full  of  immortality  which  to  this  day 
glows  in  their  bosoms,  and  irradiates  their  lives.  We  mean 
that,  though  dead,  he  shall  yet  speak  once  more.  We  mean 
to  break  the  silence  of  those  mute  lips.  We  mean  that  the 
mound  which  is  to  be  heaped  on  that  open  grave  shall  bear 
a  tablet  consecrated  to  profitable  memories.  Might  it  be  that 
the  glorified  spirit,  descending  from  the  abodes  of  bliss, 
should  now  be  hovering  over  us,  we  trust  that,  witnessing 
such  a  purpose  in  us,  —  a  purpose  not  merely  of  satisfying 
feelings  natural  and  cherished,  but  of  extending  the  benefi- 
cent influence  we  rejoice  in,  —  our  affectionate  tribute  might 
not  be  viewed  as  worthless.  We  trust  that  God  himself — 
the  Source  of  all  good  influences,  the  Giver  of  every  good 
and  perfect  gift  —  may  not  disdain  our  endeavor  thus  to  per- 
petuate and  promote  the  influence  which  he  himself  ordained 
to  go  forth  from  his  selected  servant." 

The  inscription  on  the  monument  is  as  follows  :  — 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  181 

in  duty.     God  grant  this  review  of  his  life  and 
ministry  may  be  so  to  us  ! 

Brattle  Street,  May  12th,  1850. 


Josefh    Stevens    Buckminster 

was  born 

May  26,  1784, 

was  ordained  pastor 

of  the  Church  in 

Brattle  Square,  Boston, 

January  30,  1805, 

and  departed  this  life 

June  9,  1812. 


His  mortal  remains 
with  those  of 
his  eldest  sister 
were  deposited  beneath 
this  stone, 
by  the  care  of  the  Church 
to  which  he 
had  ministered, 
June  12,  1842. 


SERMON  VI. 


THE  LORD  OUR  GOD  BE  WITH  US,  AS  HE  WAS  WITH  OUR 
FATHERS :  LET 

1  Kings  viii.  57. 


FATHERS  :     LET    HIM    NOT    LEAVE    US,    NOR   FORSAKE    US.  


In  successive  sermons,  we  have  now  followed 
the  history  of  this  church  from  its  establishment 
in  1699  to  the  close  of  Mr.  Buckminster's  minis- 
try, in  June,  1812.  This  brings  us  to  a  period 
distinctly  within  the  memory  of  very  many  who 
hear  me.  Mr.  Buckminster  was  succeeded  by 
Mr.  Everett  ;  and  his  very  brief  and  brilliant 
ministry  was  followed  by  the  longer  and  emi- 
nently faithful,  devoted,  and  useful  ministry  of 
Dr.  Palfrey.  Propriety  does  not  permit  us  to 
speak  of  the  living  with  the  same  freedom  with 
which  we  speak  of  the  dead  ;  but  as  long  years 
have  passed  since  these  gentlemen  were  incum- 
bents of  this  pulpit,  and  as  both  have  since  been 
eminent  in  various  and  widely  different  walks  of 
life,   it  would  seem,  that,   without  any  violation 


HISTORY    OF   BRATTLE    STREET    CHURCH.  183 

of  propriety,  we  might  speak  with  considerable 
frankness  and  freedom  of  their  services  and  influ- 
ence in  this  desk.  1  shall  hope  not  to  be  guilty  of 
such  violation,  and  yet  shall  endeavor  to  give  you 
some  just  account  of  their  ministries. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Buckminster,  the  pulpit 
was  supplied  for  more  than  a  year  by  temporary 
engagements  with  various  clergymen,  no  one  of 
whom  preached  as  a  candidate.  Early  in  the 
autumn  of  1813,  the  attention  of  the  parish  was 
directed  to  Mr.  Everett,  who  had  graduated  at 
Harvard  College  two  years  before,  with  the  high- 
est honors  of  his  class,  and  an  unsurpassed  repu- 
tation for  talents  and  scholarship,  and  who  was 
at  this  time  pursuing  his  theological  studies  at 
Cambridge.  He  was  invited  to  preach  as  a  can- 
didate on  the  10th  of  December,  1813,  and,  after 
supplying  the  pulpit  four  Sundays,  received  a 
unanimous  invitation  to  become  the  pastor  of  the 
society.  The  invitation  was  accepted,  and  he 
was  ordained  on  the  9th  of  February,  1814. 
Mr.  Everett's  ministry  lasted  but  thirteen  months. 
Early  in  the  year  1815,  he  accepted  the  appoint- 
ment tendered  him  by  the  Corporation  of  Har- 
vard College,  of  Eliot  Professor  of  Greek  Lit- 
erature, and  his  connection  with  this  society  was 
dissolved  on  the  5th  of  March  of  that  year.  Never 
did  a  severer  blow  fall  more  unexpectedly  upon  a 
parish  than  this  ;  never  was  a  dissolution  of  a  pas- 


184  THE    HISTORY    OF 

toral  connection  more  reluctantly  acquiesced  in. 
I  make  no  undue  claim  for  the  clerical  profes- 
sion ;  but  I  am  not  disposed  to  admit  that  there  is 
any  higher  stand-point  for  human  effort  than  the 
desk  of  religious  instruction,  —  any  sphere  in 
which  learning,  talent,  genius,  all  the  energies  of 
a  noble  mind  and  a  generous  heart,  can  do 
more  good,  exert  a  wider,  more  lasting,  more 
important  influence,  than  in  the  pulpit,  especially 
the  free  Congregational  pulpit  of  America  ;  and 
it  must  always  be  matter  of  regret  when  a  person 
having  these  rich  gifts  and  endowments  steps  aside 
and  steps  down  from  the  pulpit  to  mingle  in  the 
dust  and  strife  of  secular  affairs.  In  the  case  of 
Mr.  Everett,  however,  the  regret  felt,  and  which 
some,  who  distinctly  remember  him  thirty-seven 
years  ago  as  the  youthful  pastor  of  this  church, 
feel  strongly  to  this  day,  —  the  regret  that  talents 
so  eminent  should  have  been  thus  early  lost  to  the 
pulpit,  —  is  somewhat  mitigated  by  the  fact,  that 
in  every  sphere  in  which  they  have  since  been 
exerted,  in  every  office  which  they  have  since 
honored  and  adorned,  —  in  the  halls  of  legislation, 
in  the  higher  walks  of  diplomacy,  in  academic 
retreats,  and  the  various  paths  of  learning  and 
science,  —  they  have  been  crowned  with  eminent 
success  and  eminent  usefulness,  have  ever  been 
exerted  on  the  side  of  religion,  virtue,  truth,  — 
truth   in   the   broad,   full   meaning  of  the  word. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  185 

Yet,  eminent,  honored,  and  useful  as  Mr.  Everett 
has  been  and  is,  it  may  be,  —  a  wise  prophet 
might  almost  venture  the  prediction,  —  it  may  be 
that  he  will  go  down  to  posterity  as  connected 
with  the  religious  rather  than  the  secular  history 
of  the  country.  It  may  be  that,  when  all  else 
that  he  has  done  shall  have  been  forgotten,  —  its 
interest  passed  away  in  the  temporary  interest 
which  produced  it,  —  he  will  be  remembered  and 
his  name  most  frequently  mentioned  and  quoted 
in  connection  with  his  "  Defence  of  Christianity, " 
—  a  work  written  before  he  reached  his  majority, 
and  published  within  a  few  months  after  his  ordi- 
nation in  this  desk.  This  work,  presenting,  as  it 
does,  a  very  able  argument  in  support  of  the 
prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  their  bear- 
ing upon  the  truth  and  divine  origin  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  was  regarded  at  the  time,  and  may 
still  be  considered,  as  one  of  the  most  original 
and  most  important  theological  works  that  had 
then  been  written  in  America.  It  was  called 
forth  by  the  state  of  the  times,  and  completely 
met  the  wants  of  the  times.  Sceptical  tendencies 
in  a  portion  of  this  community  were  at  that  period 
strongly  manifested,  and  infidel  opinions  were 
openly  announced  and  advocated  by  some.  Par- 
ticularly, Mr.  G.  B.  English,  then  recently  re- 
turned from  Europe,  had  attacked  Christianity 
through  the  Old  Testament,  particularly  through 


186  THE    HISTORY    OF 

the  prophecies.  His  work,  eagerly  and  exten- 
sively read,  had  unsettled  the  faith  of  many,  and, 
if  unanswered,  was  calculated  to  do  much  injury. 
I  have  been  told  that  some  attempts  to  answer  it 
in  the  preaching  of  that  day  were  not  eminently 
successful.*  However  this  may  be,  Mr.  Ev- 
erett's work  was  a  triumphant  answer  and  a  com- 
plete vindication.  It  produced  immediately  a 
strong  and  marked  impression  upon  the  public 
mind.  Though  written  to  meet  a  temporary  exi- 
gency, it  is  a  work  of  thorough  learning  and  of 
real,  permanent  value.  Indeed,  when  we  con- 
sider all  the  circumstances  under  which  it  was 
written,  the  extreme  youth  of  the  author,  the 
brief  period  in  which  it  was  prepared,  the  mass 
of  learning  it  brings  together  well  digested  and 
arranged,  the  closeness  of  its  reasoning  in  some 
passages,  the  glow  and  fervor  of  its  eloquence  in 
others,  and  the  effect  it  produced,  it  must  be 
acknowledged  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
books  in  the  annals  of  American  religious  litera- 
ture. It  is  a  rare  book  now,  and  but  little  known 
to  the  younger  generations.  Many  who  hear  me, 
probably,  were  wholly  ignorant  of  the  fact  that 
Mr.  Everett  had  ever  written  such  a  work.  I 
have  heard  that  application  was  made  to  him  a 


*  I  have  heard  the  late  Dr.  Pierce,  President  Kirkland,  and 
Dr.  Porter  of  Roxbury,  make  this  remark. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  187 

few  years  ago  for  permission  to  publish  a  new 
edition,  and  that  the  application  was  not  success- 
ful, because  his  health  and  engagements  would  not 
admit  of  his  giving  the  work  that  thorough  re- 
vision which  the  publication  of  a  new  edition 
might  require.  This  is  to  be  regretted  ;  for, 
without  any  disparagement  of  the  good  he  has 
done  and  the  honors  he  has  attained  in  other  de- 
partments, I  cannot  but  think  that,  if  there  is  any 
one  event  of  his  life,  any  one  work  or  labor,  of 
which,  on  a  just  estimate  of  things,  he  may  well 
be  most  proud,  it  is  that  at  the  age  of  twenty  he 
wrote  and  published  his  "  Defence  of  Christian- 
ity,"—  a  book  which  silenced  the  voice  of  infi- 
delity, and  gave  peace,  satisfaction,  and  a  firm 
faith  to  thousands  of  minds  in  a  young  and  grow- 
ing community. 

While  pastor  of  this  church,  Mr.  Everett  made 
but  one  other  publication  under  his  own  name  ; 
viz.  a  sermon  preached  at  the  funeral  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Abbot,  the  predecessor  of  Dr.  Frothingham, 
at  the  First  Church.  I  have  always  understood 
from  those  whose  memories  reach  back  to  that 
period,  that  he  was  faithful  and  devoted  to  his 
work  while  in  this  desk,  and  the  records,  show- 
ing fourteen  additions  to  the  church,  and  thirty-six 
baptisms,  during  his  very  brief  ministry,  are  an 
evidence  that  the  ordinances  of  religion  did  not 
languish  under  his  administration. 


188  THE    HISTORY    OF 

After  his  resignation,  the  pulpit  was  vacant 
more  than  three  years.  During  this  period,  sev- 
eral persons  preached  as  candidates,  and  various 
attempts  were  made  to  settle  a  minister,  but  with- 
out success.  In  March,  1818,  Mr.  John  Gor- 
ham  Palfrey  was  invited  to  supply  the  desk  for 
four  Sundays  as  a  candidate.  At  the  close  of  his 
engagement,  at  a  meeting  held  on  the  26th  of 
April  following,  he  was  unanimously  invited  to 
become  the  pastor  and  teacher  of  the  flock. 
The  invitation  was  accepted,  and  he  was  or- 
dained on  the  17th  of  June,  1818.  Dr.  Palfrey's 
peaceful,  prosperous,  devoted,  and  faithful  minis- 
try is  too  distinctly  remembered  by  most  of  those 
who  hear  me  to  need  much  comment.  He  brought 
to  the  profession  a  mind  most  thoroughly  disci- 
plined by  early  and  systematic  culture,  well  stored 
with  professional  and  general  learning,  trained  to 
habits  of  patient  and  persevering  industry,  imbued 
with  a  devout  and  earnest  interest  in  the  great 
objects  of  his  profession.  Through  these  quali- 
ties all  his  ministry  was  marked  by  thoroughness, 
method,  and  fidelity  in  every  department.  Exter- 
nally, the  most  important  event  in  the  concerns  of 
the  parish  during  his  connection  with  it  was  a 
thorough  and  extensive  repair  of  the  church  and 
of  the  parsonage-house,  made  in  1S24.  In  the 
spring  of  that  year,  the  porch  on  the  south  side 
of  the  church  was  removed  by  order  of  the  city 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  189 

government,  and  the  entrance  to  the  galleries  and 
lower  floor  of  the  church  in  that  direction  closed. 
This  made  it  necessary  to  construct  a  new  en- 
trance to  the  south  gallery,  and  for  this  purpose 
wings  of  twenty  feet  were  added  each  side  of  the 
front  porch,  thus  making  an  ample  vestibule,  and 
direct  entrances  in  front  to  the  galleries,  and  to 
the  side  aisles  of  the  lower  floor.  This  was  a 
great  improvement,  giving  a  uniformity  to  the 
church  which  it  wanted  before.  It  was  at  this 
time  newly  painted  throughout,  and  carpeted. 
This  repair  of  the  church,  together  with  its  then 
favorable  location  in  regard  to  population  and  the 
residences  of  the  citizens,  and  the  eminently  faith- 
ful and  acceptable  services  of  Dr.  Palfrey,  con- 
spired to  make  the  period  of  his  ministry  one  of 
great  temporal  and  spiritual  prosperity.  The 
ordinances  of  religion  were  well  attended,  and  a 
Sunday  school  was  established,  and  conducted 
with  systematic  thoroughness  and  ability.  An 
association  for  benevolent  and  missionary  pur- 
poses was  formed,  through  which  much  good  was 
done,  and  a  door  opened  for  the  religious  activity 
of  the  society.  It  should  be  remembered,  also, 
that  the  period  of  Dr.  Palfrey's  ministry  was  a 
period  of  strong  religious  interest  and  effort 
throughout  the  city  and  State.  It  was  a  period 
of  deep  and  thorough  religious  discussion,  when 
the  questions  at  issue  between   the   Liberal  and 


190  THE    HISTORY   OF 

Orthodox  portions  of  the  Congregational  body 
strongly  agitated  the  public  mind,  and  no  one 
could  well  refrain  from  some  interest  in  them. 

There  has  been  no  period,  probably,  since  the 
commencement  of  the  present  century,  when  the 
ministry  was  so  agreeable  and  so  useful,  when  the 
religious  institutions  of  the  country  were  so  pros- 
perous and  progressive,  and  religion  itself  held 
so  much  of  its  rightful  place  and  sway  in  men's 
thoughts  and  interests,  as  during  the  twelve  years 
that  intervened  between  ISIS  and  1830.  It  was 
a  period  of  political  quiet  comparatively,  —  "the 
era  of  good  feelings,"  as  the  old  politicians  re- 
member and  call  it.  The  contention  of  parties 
nearly  ceased  for  several  years.  There  was  lit- 
tle of  that  political  strife  and  struggle  and  agita- 
tion that  existed  during  the  Embargo  and  the 
war,  or  that  have  prevailed  since  1830.  Politics 
did  not  absorb  and  engross  men's  minds,  embit- 
ter their  feelings,  and  drive  religion  from  their 
thoughts  and  its  influence  from  their  lives,  to  the 
extent  they  did  before,  or  have  done  since.  It 
was  a  period  of  peace,  and  of  a  gradual,  healthy, 
commercial  prosperity.  There  were  no  wide- 
spread commercial  embarrassments  to  distract  and 
harass  men's  minds,  like  those  which  occurred 
during  the  first  fifteen  years  of  the  present  cen- 
tury, and  none  of  those  gigantic  enterprises,  and 
none  of  that  rapid,  lightning-like  advancement  and 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  191 

accumulation  of  wealth,  consequent  upon  rail- 
roads, which  have  since  occurred,  to  seduce  and 
ensnare  and  render  unspiritual  and  worldly  the 
public  mind.  Religion,  meeting  with  no  draw- 
backs in  the  troubles  and  disasters  of  society,  and 
having  little  to  contend  with  in  its  too  great  pros- 
perity and  progress,  more  easily  held  its  place,  and 
exerted  more  of  its  rightful  sway  as  the  controlling 
power  in  society,  than  it  does  now.  Religion,  in 
its  administration  and  influence,  was  aided  out- 
wardly by  the  circumstances  of  the  times.  This 
aid  would  have  availed  nothing  without  fidelity 
and  devotedness  in  the  ministry.  Meeting  with 
this  fidelity  and  devotedness  in  Dr.  Palfrey,  the 
outward  favorable  circumstances  tended  to  make 
his  ministry  eminently  prosperous  in  things  tem- 
poral and  spiritual.  That  ministry  lasted  twelve 
years.  Tn  1830,  he  was  chosen  to  succeed  Mr. 
Norton  as  Dexter  Professor  of  Sacred  Literature 
in  Harvard  College,  and  his  connection  with  the 
parish  was  dissolved  in  February  of  the  follow- 
ing year.  He  carried  with  him  to  his  new  field 
of  duty  as  large  a  share  of  regret,  confidence,  af- 
fection, and  respect,  as  ever  minister  bore  from 
the  society  he  had  left. 

After  his  dismission,  the  pulpit  was  vacant  four 
years,  a  longer  vacancy  than  had  ever  before  oc- 
curred since  the  establishment  of  the  church. 
Once  during  this  period,  after  several  ineffectual 


192  THE    HISTORY    OF 

attempts  to  unite  upon  a  candidate,  Dr.  Palfrey- 
was  invited  to  resume  the  pastoral  charge  of  the 
parish  ;  but  he  declined  the  invitation,  and  con- 
tinued at  his  post  at  Cambridge  from  the  same 
considerations  of  duty  which  led  him  to  accept  it.* 
In  April,  1834,  the  present  incumbent  was 
invited  to  become  the  pastor,  and  was  inducted 
into  office  on  the  18th  of  June  of  that  year.  His 
ministry  is  now  approaching  the  completion  of  its 
seventeenth  year,  and  is  longer  by  several  years 
than  either  of  the  three  immediately  preceding  it. 
Of  what  has  occurred  during  it,  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  speak  with  much  detail.  Some  external 
changes  have  been  made.  Soon  after  the  settle- 
ment of  the  present  pastor,  the  vestry  was  en- 
larged ;  or  rather,  the  two  vestry-rooms  in  each 

*  During  his  ministry,  Dr.  Palfrey  was  for  a  time  editor 
of  the  Christian  Examiner,  and  also  published  several  oc- 
casional sermons.  After  leaving  the  pastoral  charge  of  the 
society  in  Brattle  Square,  he  made  three  very  valuable  ad- 
ditions to  the  theological  literature  of  the  country,  viz. :  — 
A  volume  of  sermons  "  On  Duties  belonging  to  some  of  the 
Conditions  and  Relations  of  Private  Life,"  published  in  1834. 
"  Academical  Lectures  on  the  Jewish  Scriptures  and  Antiqui- 
ties," a  work  to  be  comprised  in  four  volumes,  two  of  which 
have  been  published  for  some  time,  and  the  remaining  two 
are  in  press,  and  will  shortly  be  issued.  This  is  a  work  of 
great  learning  and  research,  although  some  of  its  opinions 
upon  the  prophecies  have  not  been  received  with  entire  ap- 
probation by  the  public.  Two  volumes  of  Lectures  on  the 
Evidences  of  Christianity,  delivered  before  the  Lowell  Insti- 
tute, and  published  in  1843. 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  193 

wing  of  the  porch  were  thrown  into  one,  by  re- 
moving a  portion  of  the  side-walls  of  the  tower, 
and  thus  a  commodious  room  was  obtained  for 
the  use  of  the  Sunday  school  and  other  purposes. 
Previous  to  that,  the  Sunday  school  was  held  in 
the  body  of  the  church.  At  the  same  time,  the 
north  gallery  was  remodelled,  the  square  pews 
changed  into  slips,  and  thus  made  to  conform  to 
the  north  gallery. 

In  1S35,  on  the  report  of  a  committee  of  the 
church,  raised  at  the  suggestion  of  the  pastor, 
important  changes  were  made  in  the  covenant 
used  in  admitting  persons  to  the  communion-ta- 
ble, the  baptismal  or  half-way  covenant  dispensed 
with,  and  the  pastor  authorized  to  administer  bap- 
tism to  children  of  all  parents  who  desired  it, 
whether  members  of  the  church  or  not,  upon 
such  Christian  acknowledgments  as  he  should 
deem  sufficient.  The  attention  of  the  church 
was  called  to  this  subject  by  the  pastor,  because 
no  evidence  was  furnished  by  the  records  that  the 
church  had  ever  adopted  or  agreed  upon  any  cov- 
enant or  form  of  admission  to  the  communion. 
The  Manifesto  put  forth  by  the  undertakers  could 
hardly  be  regarded  in  that  light,  and  was  never 
used,  probably,  for  that  purpose.  It  was  simply 
a  general  declaration  of  the  principles  upon  which 
the  society  was  established,  and  the  general  views 
of  Christian  truth  which  its  members  entertained, 

13 


194  THE    HISTORY    OF 

but  was  not  intended  to  be  a  church-covenant  or 
creed.  Under  date  of  December  12th,  1699, 
Dr.  Colman  writes,  "  After  solemn  calling  upon 
God,  the  following  brethren  declared  their  con- 
sent and  agreement  to  walk  together  in  the  ordi- 
nances of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  And  this  is 
all  that  the  records  contain  in  relation  to  any  cov- 
enant or  form  of  admission  to  the  communion. 
Probably  there  was  at  some  time  some  action  of 
the  church  upon  the  subject,  but  no  record  is 
made  of  it.  In  the  small  pulpit  Bible  were  two 
covenants,  one  for  admission  to  the  church,  and 
the  other  for  the  administration  of  baptism  to  the 
children  of  non-communicants.  But  when,  or 
by  whom,  or  by  whose  authority,  these  covenants 
were  introduced,  could  not  be  ascertained.  Their 
use  reached  back  beyond  the  memory  of  the  old- 
est members  of  the  society,  but  no  reference  to 
them  could  be  found  in  the  records. 

It  was  under  these  circumstances,  that,  in  1835, 
as  stated  above,  the  matter  was  brought  before  the 
consideration  of  the  church.  The  covenant  adopt- 
ed on  the  report  of  the  committee  above  men- 
tioned, and  now  in  use,  was  mainly  the  covenant 
still  to  be  found  in  the  small  pulpit  Bible.  With  the 
exception  of  abridging  its  length,  the  most  impor- 
tant change  made  was  the  introduction  of  a  clause, 
found,  I  believe,  in  the  covenants  of  several  of 
the  earliest  Congregational  churches  of  New  Eng- 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  195 

land,  to  the  following  purport  :  —  "  You  promise 
to  yield  obedience  to  every  truth  of  God  that  has 
been  or  shall  be  made  known  to  you  as  your  duly, 
the  Lord  assisting  you  by  his  spirit  and  grace." 
This  clause  secures  individual  liberty,  and  em- 
braces the  idea  of  change,  progress,  advancement 
in  the  knowledge  of  divine  things,  of  truth,  and 
duty.  It  is,  therefore,  a  most  important  clause  in 
our  covenant,  truly  Christian  in  its  spirit  and  char- 
acter, requiring  no  other  and  no  further  surrender 
of  individual  freedom  and  independence  than  that 
a  person  be  strictly  conscientious,  obedient  to  his 
honest  and  sincere  convictions  of  truth  and  duty. 
Through  this  clause  many  have  been  brought  to 
the  Lord's  table,  to  enjoy  all  the  benefits  and  hal- 
lowed influences  of  that  holy  rite  of  commemora- 
tion, who  would  otherwise  have  been  restrained 
through  fear  of  too  large  a  surrender  of  individual 
liberty  and  independence. 

In  the  outward  administration  of  our  affairs, 
these  are  the  principal  changes  that  have  been 
made  since  the  commencement  of  the  present 
ministry.  During  this  period,  the  society  has 
been  harmonious,  and  as  prosperous  as  was  to 
be  expected,  perhaps,  under  the  great  and  rapid 
changes  which  have  taken  place  in  this  city  during 
the  last  sixteen  years,  —  changes  greater,  more 
rapid,  and  affecting  to  a  greater  extent  the  rela- 
tive position  of  this  church,  than  any  which  have 


196  THE    HISTORY    OF 

occurred    during  the   whole   of  the  one  hundred 
and  thirty-four  previous  years  of  its  existence. 

With  some  minuteness  of  detail  in  portions  of 
it,  I  have  now  laid  before  you  the  history  of  this 
venerable  church  and  society,  from  its  first  incep- 
tion. And  as  we  close  the  retrospect,  what  is 
the  great  thought  that  rushes  to  our  minds  and 
leaps  for  utterance  to  our  lips  ?  Is  it  not  all  ex- 
pressed in  that  supplication  of  Solomon  breathed 
at  the  dedication  of  the  temple  ?  —  "  The  Lord 
our  God  be  with  us  as  he  was  with  our  fathers. 
Let  him  not  leave  us,  nor  forsake  us."  Signal- 
Iv  was  the  Lord  God  with  our  fathers.  Rich 
are  the  tokens  of  Divine  favor  which  from  the 
beginning  have  rested  upon  this  religious  society. 
It  has  been  a  church  of  peace.  For  one  hundred 
and  fifty  years,  its  harmony  has  never  been  essen- 
tially disturbed.  No  discussions  have  occurred 
sufficient  to  obstruct  its  prosperity  or  invade  its 
quiet,  —  a  fact,  I  believe,  which  cannot  be  so 
strongly  asserted  of  any  other  of  the  churches  of 
our  city  that  have  been  established  a  century  and 
a  half.  Here,  notwithstanding  there  have  been 
occasionally  differences  of  opinion,  brotherly  love 
has  continued,  and  mutual  forbearance  and  char- 
ity made  it  a  church  of  peace,  — and  of  peace, 
because  of  liberty.  It  has  been  a  church  faithful 
to  the  great  Protestant  principles  of  Christian 
liberty.     Our  fathers  were  not  disorganizers  or 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  197 

radicals.  In  things  spiritual,  they  reverenced  the 
authority  of  Christ  and  his  Gospel,  but  would 
bow  to  no  other  authority.  They  were  noble 
and  independent  men,  men  of  a  lofty  piety  and  a 
holy  zeal,  who,  in  the  calm  confidence  of  a  good 
cause,  scrupled  not,  amid  obloquy  and  opposition, 
to  stand  fast  in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  had 
made  them  free,  and  all  succeeding  generations 
have  had  the  benefit  of  their  steadfastness.  The 
three  wise,  just,  but  at  the  time  obnoxious  prin- 
ciples which  they  introduced  have  now  become 
all  but  universally  prevalent  in  the  Congregational 
churches  of  New  England. 

And  because  of  its  liberty,  it  has  been  an  en- 
lightened and  progressive  church.  Restraints, 
legal  or  conventional,  barring  the  avenues  of  relig- 
ious truth  to  the  mind,  —  these  are  the  things  that 
produce  violent  changes  of  religious  opinion  and 
make  them  necessary.  Here  these  restraints  have 
never  existed,  have  never  been  imposed  This 
church  has  known  no  law  but  liberty,  no  object 
but  truth.  Its  ministers  have  ever  been  free  to 
ascertain  it  in  their  studies,  free  to  utter  it  in 
their  preaching  as  their  consciences  and  judg- 
ments might  dictate.  Consequently,  all  changes 
that  have  taken  place  here  in  the  religious  opin- 
ions of  the  ministers,  and  of  the  general  body  of 
worshippers,  have  come  on  gradually,  have  been 
the  natural  growth  of  the  religious  freedom  here 
enjoyed. 


198  THE    HISTORY    OF 

It  was  my  purpose  to  unfold  some  of  these 
changes,  and  the  causes  which  operated  to  pro- 
duce them.  But  I  find  this  no  easy  task.  It 
is  a  matter  involved  in  some  obscurity.  The 
ecclesiastical  history  of  New  England,  especially 
of  Massachusetts,  as  respects  changes  of  religious 
opinion,  is  yet  to  be  written.  It  is  thoroughly 
embraced  and  treated  in  no  one  work.  Its  mate- 
rials are  to  be  searched  for  and  gathered  from 
an  immense  mass  of  occasional  sermons,  tracts, 
and  pamphlets  of  various  kinds.  Its  great  outline 
of  independent  Congregationalism  is  distinct  and 
clear,  but  within  that  outline  much  of  the  picture 
is  vague  and  indistinct,  —  the  lights  and  shadows 
blending  so  gradually  into  each  other  as  to  give 
bold  and  strong  prominence  to  but  few  points. 
Thus  is  it  also  in  the  history  of  this  church,  as 
respects  the  religious  opinions  of  the  ministers  or 
worshippers.  At  the  beginning,  in  its  Manifesto, 
it  defined  very  distinctly  its  position.  So  far  as 
that  instrument  is  a  declaration  of  the  principles 
to  be  here  observed  in  the  administration  of  the 
Gospel  as  a  religious  institution,  there  has  always 
been  a  strict  adherence  to  it.  In  this  respect,  the 
Manifesto  is  still  the  law  of  the  society.  So  far 
as  it  is  a  declaration  of  theological  doctrine,  there 
has  been  on  some  points  a  gradual  departure  from 
it.  No  violent  changes,  however,  have  occurred. 
The  Manifesto,  even  so  far  as  it  is  a  recognition 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHUECH.  199 

of  theological  doctrine,  has  never  been  formally 
revoked,  and  no  action  has  been  had,  either  by 
the  church  or  the  society,  defining  and  setting 
forth  its  theological  tenets,  or  assuming  any  new 
denominational  name,  or  any  name  other  than  that 
which  it  assumed  at  first,  and  has  always  held, 
derived  from  its  locality,  —  the  Church  in  Brattle 
Street.  Its  ministers  have  all  been  independent 
Congregationalists,  and  zealous  supporters  and  de- 
fenders of  that  form  of  church  organization,  and 
under  all  the  various  shades  of  opinion  which  they 
have  held  and  preached,  this  church  has  always 
had  that  liberal,  "  catholic  air  "  which  Colman 
says  he  "  breathed  in  at  Cambridge."  * 


*  Dr.  Thacher,  in  the  memoir  of  him  to  which  reference 
has  already  been  made,  is  said  to  have  been  in  early  life 
somewhat  narrow  and  bigoted,  and,  in  his  preaching,  some- 
times harsh  and  denunciatory  towards  those  who  differed  from 
the  orthodox  standard  of  faith.  He  very  early,  however,  out- 
grew this  temper,  and  was  distinguished  for  his  large  charity 
and  his  catholic  spirit.  Mr.  William  Cooper  was  more  strict 
and  stern  in  his  Calvinism  than  any  other  of  the  early  ministers 
of  this  church ;  yet  there  was  much  that  was  generous  and  cath- 
olic in  his  spirit.  He  was  disposed  to  recognize  and  maintain 
the  true  Gospel  liberty  both  of  the  church  and  of  the  individ- 
ual Christian,  and  was  severe  and  denunciatory,  not  so  much 
against  religious  error  as  against  religious  indifference  and 
sin.  In  his  Confession  of  Faith,  published  in  connection 
with  Dr.  Colman's  sermon  at  his  ordination,  he  says  of  the 
books  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  —  "  These  I  believe  to 
be  of  divine  original  and  authority.  These  I  would  make  the 
fountain  from  whence  to  draw  all  my  knowledge,  the  touch- 


200  THE    HISTORY    OF 

In  most  periods  of  its  history,  it  has  been  a 
church  distinguished  for  zeal,  piety,  and  charity. 
Here,  in  all  times,  the  Christian  ordinances  have 
been  largely  observed.  It  was  a  well-founded 
declaration  of  Dr.  Thacher,  that  "  he  did  not 
know  an  unbaptized  child  among  the  families  of 

stone  to  which  to  bring  every  doctrine ;  and  whatever  does 
not  agree  hereunto  I  will  reject,  as  not  having  the  light  of 

truth  in  it I  believe  that  Christ  is  the  alone  King  and 

Head  of  his  Church,  and  that  none  else  has  power  over  our 
faith  or  dominion  over  our  consciences." 

The  following  passage  from  that  part  of  the  Confession  in 
which  he  presents  the  "  rules  and  methods  of  conduct  "  by 
which,  as  a  Christian  minister,  he  hoped  "  in  some  measure 
to  reach  unto  the  great  and  worthy  ends  proposed,"  gives 
such  a  favorable  impression  of  the  man  that  I  insert  it. 

"  I  am  sensible  that  the  minister  implies  the  Christian,  and 
that  the  good  effects  of  my  ministry  upon  others  does  in  a 
great  measure  depend  upon  the  holiness  of  my  own  heart  and 
life  :  I  would  therefore  take  heed,  to  myself  and  keep  my  own 
vineyard ;  and  first  seek  after  an  experience  of  the  work  of 
Grace  in  my  own  soul  and  to  exhibit  the  power  of  it  in  my 
own  life.  The  word  of  God  I  would  make  the  rule  of  my 
whole  behavior  and  conversation,  that  so  I  may  be  an  exam- 
ple to  the  believers,  in  word,  in  conversation,  in  faith,  in  love, 
in  humility,  in  purity,  in  gravity,  and  may  give  no  offence  in 
any  thing,  that  the  ministry  be  not  blamed. 

11  As  a  minister,  I  shall  endeavor  to  perform  all  ministerial 
duties  and  labors  both  public  and  private.  I  am  sensible 
(God  make  me  more  so  !)  of  my  own  deficiency  in  Knowl- 
edge, as  well  as  Grace:  I  therefore  purpose  to  give  myself  to 
reading,  meditation,  prayer,  and  diligent  study,  especially  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  are  able  to  make  the  man  of  God 
thoroughly   furnished.     The  truths  of  the  Gospel  I  will  en- 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  201 

his  charge."  The  tahle  of  communion,  though 
formerly,  as  now,  neglected  by  many,  has  always 
witnessed  a  good  attendance,  and  at  some  periods 
a  full  and  large  one.* 

It  has  been  a  church  of  philanthropy  and  benefi- 
cence.    Early  in  its  history,  we  find  that,  at  the 


deavor  faithfully  to  dispense,  and  not  keep  back  any  part  of 
the  counsel  of  God. 

"  The  laws  of  the  Gospel  I  will  inculcate  and  enforce. 
Against  sin  in  every  instance  of  it  I  will  faithfully  witness. 
To  every  particular  person  I  will,  as  I  am  able,  give  their 
portion  in  due  season. 

"  The  worship  and  institutions  of  Christ  I  shall  endeavor  to 
observe  in  the  purity  of  them,  according  to  his  holy  word, 
and  to  maintain  and  exercise  that  holy  discipline  which  he 
has  instituted  in  his  Church,  without  partiality. 

"  But  concerning  what  I  shall  do,  if  trouble  and  persecution 
should  arise  because  of  the  word,  I  would  be  very  jealous 
over  myself;  yet  I  trust  that,  through  the  Power  of  Christ 
resting  upon  me,  I  shall  be  enabled  to  suffer  for  the  Truth, 
yea,  to  seal  it  with  my  blood,  rather  than  betray  it. 

"  To  move  and  quicken  me  to  all  which,  I  shall  endeavor  to 
affect  myself  with  the  worth  of  immortal  souls,  and  the  danger 
of  my  own  ;  to  get  and  preserve  an  awful  sense  of  the  bonds 
of  God  upon  me,  and  the  strictness  of  that  account  which  I 
must  shortly  give  up  to  the  chief  Shepherd  at  his  appearing. 

"These  purposes  and  resolutions  I  would  make  in  an  hum- 
ble reliance  on  the  grace  of  God,  in  a  sense  of  my  own  insuf- 
ficiency ;  asking  the  prayers  of  ministers  and  people  of  God 
for  me,  that  I  may  find  mercy  and  grace  to  be  faithful  herein 
unto  the  death." 

*  During  one  period  of  twenty-seven  years,  there  were  six 
hundred  and  sixty-six  additions  to  the  church,  an  average  of 
at  least  two  at  every  administration  of  the  communion. 


202  THE    HISTORY    OF 

suggestion  of  its  first  pastor,  it  voted  to  take  up  a 
collection  twice  in  each  year,  to  form  an  "  Evan- 
gelical Treasury  for  the  propagation  of  religion 
and  piety,  and  to  be  held  sacred  to  such  uses." 
The  sums  thus  obtained  were  expended  in  efforts 
to  diffuse  the  knowledge  and  influence  of  the 
Gospel  through  "  the  dispersing  Bibles,  cate- 
chisms, and  other  instruments  of  piety  among  the 
poor."  In  every  generation,  its  members  have 
acknowledged  the  obligations  of  Christian  benev- 
olence, and  been  ready  to  give,  and  give  largely, 
of  their  means  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  and  for 
the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  Christ.  I  know 
not  that  a  worthy  object  or  enterprise  of  charity 
has  ever  sought  the  aid  of  this  church,  and  been 
refused. 

Such,  briefly  stated,  have  been  some  of  the 
characteristics  of  this  church.  Thus  has  the  Lord 
our  God  been  with  it  in  times  past,  enriching  it 
with  the  gifts  and  graces  of  his  spirit.  Thus  has 
it  come  into  our  hands,  —  been  given  in  charge  to 
our  fidelity  ;  and  a  long  array  of  venerable  and 
holy  men  will  rise  up  in  judgment  against  us,  if 
we  prove  faithless  to  that  charge.  Under  any 
circumstances,  it  is  a  responsible  and  weighty 
charge.  Of  all  the  interests  that  come  down  to 
us  from  our  predecessors,  religion,  its  institutions 
and  influences,  are  the  most  important  ;  and  in 
our  case,  the  history  of  our  church,  and  all  the 


BRATTLE    STREET    CHURCH.  203 

associations  that  gather  around  it,  make  an  appeal 
to  our  honor  and  conscience  which  ought  not  to 
be  unheeded.  The  interests  of  this  religious  so- 
ciety, its  prosperity  and  permanence,  its  healthy 
condition  and  influences,  now  devolve  upon  us. 
We  occupy  the  places,  enjoy  the  privileges,  and 
hold  the  power,  that  once  belonged  to  others. 

There  are  strong  reasons  moving  some  of  us 
to  feel  a  deep  interest  in  the  prosperity  of  this 
church.  We  have  been  long  connected  with  it. 
Much  of  the  joy  and  sorrow  of  our  lives  is  asso- 
ciated with  it.  It  is,  and  has  been,  the  scene 
of  our  deepest  religious  experiences.  Holy 
and  hallowed  memories  gather  around  it  in  our 
thoughts.  With  some  of  us,  the  recollections 
of  early  childhood  cluster  thick  and  fast  about 
it.  In  unconscious  infancy  we  were  baptized 
at  this  altar.  Hither  the  hand  of  parental  faith 
and  affection  led  our  early  steps  to  the  worship 
of  God,  and  through  all  the  years  of  life  the 
path  has  since  been  familiar  to  our  feet,  though 
the  parents  and  brethren  and  sisters  with  whom 
we  took  sweet  counsel,  and  walked  to  the  house 
of  God  in  company,  now  sleep  in  dust.  And 
where  recollection  goes  not  back  to  early  child- 
hood, it  reaches  with  many  to  the  dawn  of  early 
manhood,  to  those  days  when,  stepping  on  the 
stage  of  active  life,  we  rested  here  the  ark  of  our 
faith,   made   this  the  tabernacle  of  our   worship, 


204  THE    HISTORY    OF 

sought  here  the  instructions  that  were  to  guide 
and  the  influences  that  were  to  protect  us  through 
the  duties  and  perils  of  the  world.  Amid  all  these 
duties  and  perils,  in  the  hour  of  our  prosperity 
and  in  the  hour  of  our  sorrow,  when  our  hearts 
have  been  full  of  gladness  or  heavy  with  grief, 
hither  we  have  come  with  the  homage  of  our  grat- 
itude and  submission,  with  the  supplications  of 
our  necessity,  and  found  an  answer  of  peace  to 
our  prayers  ;  and  if  ever  the  chances  and  changes 
of  life  have  carried  us  long  and  far  from  home, 
this  church  has  risen  up  to  our  memories  as  the 
home  of  our  holiest  hopes,  and  we  have  been 
ready  to  exclaim,  u  If  I  forget  thee,  O  Jerusa- 
lem, may  my  right  hand  forget  its  cunning." 

And  where  there  are  not  these  strong  reasons, 
founded  on  pleasant  memories  and  attachments 
that  are  the  growth  of  years,  there  are  other  con- 
siderations that  enforce  the  duty  of  all  of  us  to 
feel  an  interest  in  the  prosperity  of  this  society, 
and  strive  to  promote  it.  We  occupy  seats 
here.  We  unite  here  in  the  public  worship  of 
God.  This  is  the  religious  society  with  which  for 
the  time  being  we  are  connected  ;  and  such  a 
connection,  wherever  it  exists,  and  so  long  as  it 
exists,  involves  duties  and  responsibilities  that 
should  not  be  neglected.  It  is  a  benefit  to  re- 
ligion and  a  blessing  to  the  community  to  have 
its  religious  societies  prosperous,  — peace,  piety, 


BRATTLE    STREET    CHURCH.  205 

and  zeal  pervading  and  animating  them.  It  is 
every  one's  duty  to  aid  in  promoting  this  prosper- 
ity ;  and  this  general  duty  can  be  best  performed, 
this  aid  can  be  most  effectually  rendered,  by  any 
one  in  the  religious  society  with  which  he  is  con- 
nected, by  his  doing  there,  without  exclusiveness, 
bigotry,  or  uncharitableness,  what  he  can,  and  all 
that  he  can,  to  make  that  society  prosperous  in 
things  temporal  and  spiritual,  —  a  true  and  living 
church  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

It  is  our  duty,  then,  —  a  duty  to  which  strong 
attachments  and  hallowed  memories  prompt  many 
of  us,  —  it  is  every  one's  duty  who  statedly  wor- 
ships at  this  church,  —  to  feel  an  interest  in  its 
prosperity,  and  to  do  what  he  can  to  promote  it. 
I  would  not  imply  that  there  is  any  special  lack  of 
this  interest,  or  neglect  of  this  duty.  But  we  all 
need  to  be  reminded  of  what  we  know,  to  be  en- 
couraged in  what  we  are  endeavoring  to  perform. 
In  closing  these  discourses,  therefore,  suffer  me 
to  say, — 

First,  that  we  shall  promote  the  prosperity  of 
this  church  by  cleaving  to  those  principles  of 
liberty  and  order  which  were  recognized  in  its 
origin,  and  have  ever  been  regarded  in  the  con- 
duct of  its  temporal  affairs,  and  in  its  administra- 
tion of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

These  principles  are  worthy  of  support  and 
adherence.     Indeed,  the  independent  Congrega- 


206  THE    HISTORY    OF 

tionalism  of  New  England  should  command  our 
respect  and  attachment,  as  a  form  of  church  or- 
ganization and  religious  administration  in  harmony 
with  the  spirit  and  genius  of  the  Gospel,  closely- 
resembling  the  organization  of  the  primitive  Apos- 
tolic churches,  and  eminently  adapted  to  promote 
civil  and  religious  liberty,  the  development  of 
individual  character,  and  the  progress  of  society. 
The  principles  upon  which  Christianity  is  admin- 
istered in  any  community  are  of  more  importance 
than  the  particular  doctrines  that  are  taught  or 
believed.  Upon  the  great  themes  of  God,  Christ, 
man,  upon  the  great  questions  of  the  trinity,  the 
atonement,  human  depravity,  regeneration,  the 
influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  short,  upon  all 
the  important  points  coming  strictly  within  the 
department  of  theology,  a  majority  of  the  Congre- 
gational Churches  have  held,  and  still  hold,  es- 
sentially the  same  opinions  that  are  held  by  the 
Catholic  Church.  The  difference,  always  mani- 
fest, between  a  Catholic  and  a  Congregational 
community,  the  difference,  for  example,  between 
Congregational  New  England  and  Catholic  Mexi- 
co, and  the  influence  of  religion  as  an  element  of 
social  progress  in  the  one  country  and  the  other, 
is  to  be  mainly  attributed,  not  to  any  difference  in 
strictly  theological  doctrine,  but  to  the  difference 
in  the  organization  of  the  two  churches,  and  the 
spirit  and  principles  upon  which  the  religion  of 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.         207 

the  Gospel  is  administered  by  each.  It  is  the 
tendency  of  Congregationalism  to  enlarge  and 
liberalize  the  mind,  to  give  it  freedom  and  scope, 
to  impart  energy,  activity,  enterprise,  to  character, 
to  make  a  man  feel  that  he  is  not  the  slave  of  the 
Church,  but  a  member  of  it,  with  a  right  to  have 
his  own  opinions  and  to  express  them  freely,  — to 
derive  them  from  the  Bible  through  his  own  read- 
ing and  interpretation  of  it,  and  to  prove  and  de- 
fend them  by  it  against  all  that  the  Church  and 
the  world  may  oppose.  \  The  spirit  of  Congrega- 
tionalism breathed  into  an  individual  gives  him 
dignity,  elevation,  energy  of  character  ;  breathed 
into  a  community,  it  gives  a  mental  independence, 
freedom,  and  activity,  produces  an  application  of 
religion,  direct  and  indirect,  to  the  intellectual, 
moral,  and  physical  progress  of  society,  which 
cannot  exist  where  the  individual  has  little  power 
to  think  and  act  for  himself  in  religious  matters, 
where  the  Bible  may  not  be  read  and  interpreted, 
save  as  the  Church  decides,  and  where  the  au- 
thority of  the  Church  is  made  to  absorb  or  over- 
shadow the  essential  substance  of  religion,  i 

That  Congregationalism  is  exempt  from  all 
imperfection,  no  one  would  contend.  No  form  of 
civil  or  religious  organization  to  be  administered 
by  human  wisdom  is  thus  exempt.  In  all  things 
in  this  world,  the  tares  and  the  wheat  grow  to- 
gether.    But   the    evils,  the    imperfections,  that 


208  THE    HISTORY    OF 

attach  to  Congregationalism,  are  not  to  be  named 
with  those  that  come  in  the  train  of  spiritual  des- 
potism. The  intellectual,  moral,  and  religious 
condition  of  New  England,  its  various  institutions 
of  learning,  science,  and  philanthropy,  the  general 
spirit  and  character  of  its  people,  are  mainly  the 
result  of  the  form  in  which  religion  has  been  ad- 
ministered within  its  borders,  and  this  form  has 
been  predominantly  Congregational.  We  are 
willing  to  point  to  them,  we  have  a  right  to  point 
to  them,  as  evidence  and  illustration  of  the  effi- 
cacy and  value  of  this  form  of  ecclesiastical  or- 
ganization. 

Would  we  promote  the  prosperity  of  this 
church,  let  us  cleave  manfully  and  firmly  to 
those  great  Congregational  principles  upon  which 
it  was  founded,  and  of  which  clear  and  distinct 
declarations  were   made   in   its    Manifesto  ;  *    let 

*  While  these  sheets  have  been  passing  through  the  press, 
I  found,  in  an  old  volume  of  miscellaneous  pamphlets  in  the 
Boston  Athenaeum,  a  copy  of  the  u  Manifesto  "  as  originally 
printed,  which  is  curious  for  two  reasons.  Written  upon  it, 
in  a  bold,  legible  hand,  is  the  name  of  "  Benjamin  Walker," 
who  was  one  of  the  "  undertakers,"  and  is  mentioned  in  the 
deed  conveying  the  land  on  which  the  church  now  stands. 
This  copy  undoubtedly  belonged  to  him.  Upon  the  blank 
page  of  the  "Manifesto,"  in  the  same  handwriting  with  the 
name  above  mentioned,  are  the  following  memoranda  :  — 

"  December  8th,  1799. 
"  Voted,  For  the  explanation  of  the  7th  article,  it  is  in- 
tended that  the  renewal  of  the  baptismal  covenant  required 


BRATTLE    STREET    CHURCH.  209 

our  hearts  cherish  an  attachment  to  them  ;  let  our 
influence  go  to  sustain  them. 

Having  confirmed  our  confidence  and  increased 
our  interest  in  the  form  of  church  organization  and 
the  mode  of  administering  religion  here  estab- 
lished, we  may  promote  the  prosperity  of  this 
society,  — 

Secondly,  by  a  faithful  and  punctual  attendance 
upon  its  services.  We  cannot  expect  the  society 
to  be  prosperous  so  long  as  we  fail  in  this  duty  ; 
and  to  whatever  extent  we  neglect  it,  to  that  ex- 
tent our  influence  goes  to  impede  its  prosperity, 
to  dishearten  its  minister,  to  extinguish  the  fire 
upon  its  altar,  and  to  impart  our  own  coldness 
and  indifference  to  others.  Punctual  attendance 
upon  the  church  where  he  claims  to  be  a  wor- 

therein  shall  be  in  public,  before  their  admission  to  the  Lord's 
table. 

"  Voted,  For  the  explanation  of  the  last  article,  it  is  intended, 
that  every  baptized  adult  person,  which  hath  a  vote  in  elect- 
ing a  minister,  be  a  settled  inhabitant,  of  a  good  conversation, 
a  constant  hearer,  and  contributor  to  the  minister's  main- 
tenance." 

As  the  records  kept  by  Dr.  Colman  do  not  begin  till  De- 
cember 12th,  1699,  it  is  impossible  to  determine  whether  the 
foregoing  votes  were  actually  passed  by  the  society,  or 
whether  they  are  simply  memoranda  of  votes  which  Mr. 
Walker  intended  to  propose.  In  either  case,  they  are  inter- 
esting, as  throwing  some  light  upon  the  sense  in  which  two 
important  articles  of  the  Manifesto  were  intended  to  be 
received. 

14 


210  THE    HISTORY    OF 

shipper  is  one  of  the  efficient  and  direct  ways  in 
which  a  man  may  promote  its  prosperity.  This 
attendance  is  due  to  his  brethren,  for  the  very 
purpose  of  their  organization  as  a  society  is  public 
worship  and  instruction,  and  every  unnecessary 
absence,  an  irregular  and  negligent  attendance, 
tends  to  defeat  that  purpose  and  cause  it  to  fail. 
It  is  due  to  the  pastor,  whose  best  efforts  can 
only  be  called  forth  by  the  encouragement  he 
receives  from  the  zeal  and  sympathy  of  the  peo- 
ple. Two  live  coals  brought  together  soon  pro- 
duce a  flame  ;  let  a  live  coal  and  a  dead  one  be 
placed  in  contact,  and  the  former  will  soon  set  on 
fire  the  latter,  and  presently  both  shall  glow  with 
intense  heat  ;  but  a  live  coal  left  to  itself  soon 
expires.  The  influence  of  pastor  and  people  is 
reciprocal,  and  if  no  zeal  exists  or  can  be  awa- 
kened in  the  latter,  it  will  not  long  burn  in  the 
breast  of  the  former.  No  religious  society  ever 
yet  died  out,  dwindling  first  into  insignificance, 
and  finally  becoming  extinct,  when  the  people, 
the  members  of  it,  were  faithful  to  the  obligations 
of  membership  ;  and  the  highest  genius,  talent, 
and  piety  in  the  pulpit  could  not  keep  it  up  and 
keep  it  alive,  if  they  received  little  or  no  help 
from  those  who  sit  in  the  pews. 

This  attendance  every  man  owes  to  himself. 
At  church,  he  will  be  in  the  way  of  duty,  improve- 
ment, and  holy  influences.     He  cannot  fail  to  get 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.         211 

some  good,  if  present  from  a  Christian  purpose, 
with  a  Christian  spirit  and  temper.  He  owes  it  to 
the  community  ;  for  a  serious  observance  of  the 
Lord's  day  is  one  of  the  high  towers  of  defence 
to  the  community's  peace  and  virtue.  A  Chris- 
tian citizen  should  not  permit  his  example  to  tend 
to  undermine  and  destroy  that  defence,  but  rather 
to  deepen  its  foundations  and  extend  its  power. 
He  owes  it  to  God,  whose  wisdom  and  provi- 
dence have  set  apart  and  sanctified  a  day  of  pub- 
lic praise  and  worship,  and  whose  blessing  makes 
it  effectual  to  the  prosperity  and  glory  of  a  nation, 
to  the  happiness  and  salvation  of  the  individual. 
Let  us  not  fail  in  this  duty.  Let  us  seek  to  dis- 
charge it  with  more  and  more  fidelity,  even  at  the 
cost  of  some  effort  and  sacrifice.  Let  whatever 
is  good  in  our  habits  in  this  particular  be  pre- 
served, improved,  carried  forward  to  perfection. 
Great  changes  have  occurred  since  first  this  spot 
was  consecrated  to  religious  purposes,  and  an 
altar  to  God's  worship  and  the  spread  of  Christ's 
Gospel  here  erected,  —  changes  redounding  to 
the  growth,  progress,  and  prosperity  of  the  city, 
but  in  some  respects  unfavorable  to  us,  placing 
our  church,  pleasantly  and  quietly  situated  in  it- 
self, at  an  inconvenient  distance  from  the  resi- 
dences of  many  of  the  citizens,  requiring  both  of 
the  pastor  and  the  people  an  earnest  and  zealous 
spirit  to  preserve  its  prosperity.  Let  us  not  fail 
to  manifest  this  spirit. 


212  THE    HISTORY    OF 

In  this  connection,  another  circumstance  may 
be  alluded  to  as  not  unworthy  of  consideration. 
Among  the  various  changes  produced  of  late 
years  by  the  rapid  growth  of  our  city  is  one 
which,  in  its  present  and  prospective  influence 
upon  our  religious  societies,  already  forces  itself 
upon  our  attention.  I  refer  to  the  extent  to  which 
the  whole  social  system  in  Boston  is  broken  up 
during  the  summer  months,  and  to  the  large  emi- 
gration into  the  country,  as  a  permanent  place  of 
residence,  constantly  occurring.  Formerly,  it  was 
a  rare  thing  for  any  man  in  business  to  live  in  the 
country,  and  come  every  day  to  the  city  to  attend 
to  that  business.  The  number  of  those  who  did 
this  could  be  easily  counted.  A  large  majority 
of  the  business  men  lived  in  the  city  with  their 
families.  The  most  intimate  and  important  social 
relations  of  nearly  all  were  here,  and  only  a  few 
of  the  more  wealthy  went  into  the  country  for  a 
few  months  in  summer.  Now  all  this  is  changed. 
Multitudes  of  business  people  of  all  occupations, 
of  the  highest  and  the  humblest  fortunes,  live  in 
the  country,  in  the  neighboring  towns  and  villages, 
all  the  year.  Their  domestic,  their  social,  their 
religious  relations  are  there,  and  only  their  busi- 
ness relations  here  ;  and  of  those  who  may  be 
said  to  be  residents  of  the  city,  great  numbers 
find  it  pleasant,  convenient,  and  as  economical  as 
it  is  pleasant  and  convenient,  to  pass  weeks  and 
months  of  the  summer  in  the  country. 


BRATTLE    STREET    CHURCH.  213 

This  is  not  to  be  complained  of,  or  regretted  ; 
nor  do  I  allude  to  it  for  that  purpose.  I  rejoice 
in  it,  so  far  as  it  is  an  evidence  of  our  prosperity, 
and  I  thank  the  Divine  wisdom  and  goodness 
which  appoint  "  the  bounds  of  our  habitation," 
that  this  little  peninsula  —  destined  at  an  early  day 
to  be  covered  with  warehouses,  given  up  to  the 
purposes  of  trade,  —  the  centre  of  a  vast  popula- 
tion and  an  extensive  inland  and  foreign  com- 
merce —  is  bordered  by  a  country  of  such  va- 
ried and  picturesque  beauty,  —  a  magnificent 
panorama  of  hill  and  dale,  valley  and  plain,  —  to 
which  we  have  multiplied  means  of  cheap  and 
easy  access,  and  where  humble  industry  can  rear 
its  quiet  habitation,  and  wealth  unite  the  beauties 
of  nature  with  the  comforts  and  refinements  of  art. 

I  would  fain  believe,  also,  that  moral  as  well 
as  physical  good  comes  from  these  summer  emi- 
grations ;  that  while  health  is  promoted  and  pleas- 
ure enjoyed,  the  heart  is  refreshed  and  invigo- 
rated, the  silent  appeal  of  nature  in  its  loveliness 
and  grandeur  acknowledged,  and  the  conscience 
permitted  to  speak  with  new  power  amid  the 
occasional  stillness  of  the  passions.  I  would  fain 
hope  that  many  return  wiser  and  better,  with  a 
larger  conception  of  God's  goodness  and  man's 
duty. 

But  though  the  thing  is  not  to  be  regretted  and 
cannot  be  changed,  though  good  flows  from  it  in 


214  THE    HISTORY   OF 

various  ways,  its  effects  upon  our  religious  socie- 
ties, upon  the  relations  of  the  clergy  to  the  people 
and  of  the  people  to  each  other,  and  upon  that 
influence  which  it  is  the  aim  and  object  of  the 
clerical  office  to  exert,  are  obviously  not  of  the 
most  desirable  or  beneficial  kind.  Ultimately,  if 
the  city  continues  to  grow  and  change  as  it  has 
of  late  years,  the  result  must  be  the  extinction 
of  some  of  our  religious  societies,  or  their  re- 
moval in  their  corporate  capacity  into  the  neigh- 
boring country.  But  u  sufficient  for  the  day  is 
the  evil  thereof,"  and,  without  looking  anxiously 
into  the  distant  future,  we  may  observe,  as  one  of 
the  evils  already  experienced,  that  the  circum- 
stance we  are  considering  brings  much  of  the 
work  of  the  clergyman,  and  nearly  all  the  good  he 
can  hope  to  do,  the  influence  he  can  hope  to 
exert,  into  eight  or  nine  months  of  the  year. 
In  summer,  he  is  preaching  to  a  large  number  of 
empty  pews,  looking  round  upon  a  feeble  remnant 
of  the  flock  scattered  here  and  there  about  the 
church.  This  has  a  depressing  and  chilling  in- 
fluence upon  preacher  and  hearer.  We  keep  up 
the  forms  of  religious  service  during  the  summer, 
and  we  must  keep  them  up  ;  but  it  is  very  diffi- 
cult to  give  interest  and  efficiency  to  them.  It 
seems  to  be  admitted  that  a  minister  cannot  now 
do  much  in  his  parish  in  the  summer  ;  that  com- 
paratively little  spiritual  growth  is  to  be  expected 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  215 

and  little  spiritual  progress  witnessed  then.  When 
autumn  returns,  the  church  begins  to  fill  up,  and 
the  clergyman  looks  around  on  a  multitude  of 
faces,  some  familiar  and  some  new.  He  feels 
that  now  an  opportunity  for  zeal  and  effort  is 
offered,  that  a  great  work  is  before  him,  and  he 
sets  himself  resolutely  to  perform  it.  He  visits, 
preaches,  has  Bible-classes  or  lectures  ;  strives 
in  all  ways  and  by  various  instrumentalities  to 
understand  and  meet  the  spiritual  wants  of  his 
hearers,  and  do  what  good  he  can  among  them, 
during  the  few  months  they  are  to  be  gathered 
together  in  the  city.  He  makes  some  progress  in 
this  work  ;  he  does  some  good  undoubtedly  ;  but 
just  as  he  is  looking  for  the  fruit  of  his  labors, 
just  as  he  has  reestablished  those  intimate  and 
affectionate  relations  between  himself  and  his 
hearers  which  are  necessary  to  his  best  influence 
upon  their  hearts  and  consciences,  spring  returns, 
summer  comes,  a  large  portion  of  the  flock  are 
again  scattered,  and  the  work  must  be  com- 
menced anew  the  next  season,  to  be  broken  off 
again  in  the  same  manner. 

But  amid  all  these  changes  and  unfavorable 
circumstances  to  which  I  have  alluded,  the  great 
condition  of  our  prosperity,  temporal  and  spirit- 
ual, remains  the  same,  unchanged  and  unchange- 
able. God  will  never  leave  nor  forsake  us,  unless 
we  first  leave  and  forsake  him.     He  will  be  with 


216  THE    HISTORY    OF 

us  as  he  was  with  our  fathers,  if  we  seek  his  pres- 
ence, if  we  love  the  habitation  of  his  house,  if  we 
reverence  his  word,  prize  his  ordinances,  wait 
regularly  and  habitually  upon  his  worship,  search 
with  a  lively  interest  for  his  will,  and  do  it  with  a 
holy  zeal.  Let  those  who  come  up  hither  come 
with  a  devout  purpose  ;  let  them  be  men  and 
women  loving  God  with  heart  and  mind  and  soul 
and  strength,  leading  lives  of  faith  and  prayer, 
earnest  in  duty,  patient  in  trial,  abounding  in  good 
works  ;  let  the  families  that  meet  here  be  families 
in  which  God  is  worshipped  and  Christ  obeyed 
and  imitated,  —  families  in  whose  bosom  and  over 
whose  intercourse  devotion  and  peace  and  love 
hold  sway  ;  —  then  shall  God  be  with  us  as  he 
was  with  our  fathers.  He  will  not  leave  nor  for- 
sake us.  He  shall  strengthen  the  walls  of  our 
Zion  ;  his  spirit  shall  dwell  in  our  hearts,  and 
prepare  for  our  spirits  a  dwelling  near  his  own 
excellent  glory,  in  a  better  world.  As  members 
of  this  ancient  church  and  society,  let  us  all  seek 
to  be  faithful  in  our  day  and  generation,  patient 
and  persevering  amid  obstacles  that  are  always  in 
the  path  of  duty.  Let  the  retrospect  of  the  past 
which  we  have  now  taken  have  its  effect  in  quick- 
ening our  sense  of  responsibleness,  awakening 
fresh  interest  and  zeal  in  all  our  hearts.  Short  is 
the  time  given  to  any  of  us  in  which  to  be  faithful. 
Let  these  venerable  walls  admonish  us  ;  let  the 


BRATTLE  STREET  CHURCH.  217 

shadows  of  the  past  speak  to  us.  Let  the  succes- 
sive generations  of  our  fathers,  as  they  here  pass 
before  us,  exhort  us.  Let  the  memory  of  the 
departed,  once  fellow-worshippers  here,  whom 
we  have  known  and  loved,  incite  and  arouse  us. 
Ah,  what  changes  do  even  a  few  brief  years  make 
in  a  congregation  !  How  many  venerable  forms, 
—  how  many  dear,  familiar  faces,  no  more  to  be 
seen,  how  many  sweet  and  pleasant  voices,  no 
more  to  be  heard  on  earth,  — faces  and  voices  of 
youth  in  its  prime,  of  manhood  in  its  vigor,  of 
age  in  its  moral  beauty  and  excellence,  —  how 
many  of  these  now  rise  up  before  me  and  before 
you  !  Of  those  who  witnessed  the  beginning  of 
my  ministry  among  you,  which  cannot  yet  be 
called  long,  how  many  have  u  passed  on  "  ! 
These  speak  to  us  ;  all  the  past  history  of  this 
church  and  society  appeals  to  us,  and  bids  us,  by 
our  honor  and  peace,  by  the  mercies  of  Heaven 
and  the  necessities  of  men,  to  be  steadfast,  zeal- 
ous, faithful,  persevering.  Let  each  determine 
for  himself  to  obey  that  appeal.  So  shall  the 
Lord  God  be  with  us  and  with  our  children,  as  he 
was  with  our  fathers. 

Brattle  Street,  December  7th,  1850. 

15 


NOTE. 

In  the  account  given,  on  pages  72-74,  of  the  Rev.  William 
Cooper's  connection  with  the  ordination  of  the  Rev.  Robert 
Breck,  in  1736,  and  the  controversy  it  engendered,  I  omitted 
to  mention,  what  Mr.  Cooper  would  wish  to  have  appear  in  any 
account  of  his  conduct  on  that  occasion,  that,  before  proceed- 
ing to  the  meeting  of  the  council  at  Springfield,  he  had  fully 
satisfied  himself  of  the  orthodoxy  of  Mr.  Breck.  This  ap- 
pears from  the  pamphlet,  "  An  Examination,"  &c,  of  which 
Cooper  was  supposed  to  be  the  author.  On  the  87th  page 
of  that  pamphlet,  after  allusion  to  the  refusal  of  the  ministers 
of  the  Hampshire  Association  to  examine  Mr.  Breck,  is  the 
following  statement  :  — 

"  Whereas  Robert  Breck,  M.  A.,  of  Harvard  College  in 
Cambridge,  hath  applied  himself  to  us  the  subscribers,  a  num- 
ber of  the  associated  pastors  in  Boston,  earnestly  requesting 
us  to  inquire  into  his  principles  in  religion,  These  may  certify, 
that  on  the  8th  day  of  May,  1735,  we  discoursed  with  him  to 
our  good  satisfaction  concerning  his  orthodoxy  in  the  great 
doctrines  of  Christianity,  as  believed  and  professed  in  the 
churches  of  Christ  in  New  England,  agreeable  to  the  West- 
minster Confession  of  Faith,  and  so  recommend  him  to  the 
Grace  of  God  and  his  brethren  in  Christ. 

"Benjamin  Colman,  •  Thomas  Foxcroft, 

Joseph  Sewall,  Samuel  Checkley, 

John  Webb,  Joshua  Gee, 

William  Cooper,  Mather  Byles." 


• 


; 


. 


'M 


Date  Due 

FAmn  v 

\ 

i 

g**» 

4 

****"*■**»., 

■ 

<f) 

BX7150.B7B8L8 
Ahistoryofthechu 


MlmZTheolo9icalSe 


rch  in  Brattle 


"^-Speer  Library 


1012  00038  4927 


